


Take a Chance on Me

by littlesparrow33



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bottom Dean, Caring Benny, Charlie Ships It, Dean Deserves to be Happy, Feels, First Time, Fix-It, M/M, Trust Issues, Wary Sam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-02-06 23:25:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 41,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12828366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesparrow33/pseuds/littlesparrow33
Summary: In a back alley in a corner of nowhere, Dean stared at the depressed vampire and felt his heart sinking. Benny was miserable and he couldn’t let that stand.A slight change: Benny takes a chance and Dean cares far more than he ever thought. Because Benny doesn't deserve to be left in Purgatory. Revamped "Taxi Driver" (S8E19)





	1. A Last Hurrah or Not

**Author's Note:**

> So this story takes place during “Taxi Driver” in which I’ve decided Benny needed to be saved and not left behind because he just gets all the bad luck, almost as much as Dean does. That and they are just really cute together. So, we have a fix-it fic that goes a little AU but not too far off.
> 
> I’d like to thank all of the other authors in the Benny/Dean camp, since it was your stories that inspired me to get to writing again. It’s the first story I’ve written in awhile and not peer reviewed, so please bear with me. (Also first time posting on here, so I'm doing some format checks.) I love these boys and I love having them love each other and isn’t fanfiction great? I’d be honored to hear what y’all think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story takes place during “Taxi Driver” in which I’ve decided Benny needed to be saved and not left behind because he just gets all the bad luck, almost as much as Dean does. That and they are just really cute together. So, we have a fix-it fic that goes a little AU but not too far off.
> 
> I’d like to thank all of the other authors in the Benny/Dean camp, since it was your stories that inspired me to get to writing again. It’s the first story I’ve written in awhile and not peer reviewed, so please bear with me. I love these boys and I love having them love each other and isn’t fanfiction great? I’d be honored to hear what y’all think.
> 
> 12/4/17 - Updated story to add in formatting and extended chapter two a bit. Hopefully this works out!

“I don’t belong.” Those words rang through the air, heavy. “After awhile, that starts to wear on you.” A huff that carried all the weight of an anchor. “Right, cry me a river, like you need to listen to this.”

In a back alley in a corner of nowhere, Dean stared at the depressed vampire and felt his heart sinking. Benny was miserable and he couldn’t let that stand. “Well, when you get back up here, we’re gonna fix all that, OK?”

“When I get back?”

Damn it, but Benny actually sounded surprised. “Yeah, you find the portal, and you ride out of Purgatory with Sam just like you did with me, OK? As soon as I send you back I’m going to haul my ass up to Maine and I’m gonna be waiting for you there when you hit topside.”

The older man nodded sharply. “Yeah, that sounds like a plan, chief.”

But the look on Benny’s face wasn’t convincing Dean at all; there was no hope in it and he couldn’t let the vampire go down to fucking _Purgatory_ like that. He stepped closer. “Look, Benny, I mean it. I don’t give a shit what Sam has to say; you’ll come with us and stay in the bunker. We always have supplies on hand and I can get you access to blood.”

Benny stared at him, disbelieving. “Dean…”

Dean took another step and grasped Benny’s shoulder. “I let you down. You gotta let me fix it this time around.”

“I knew our deal before, brother,” he assured the hunter. “You did just fine by me: helping me with my old nest, with Desmond… You did plenty.”

Dean shook his head. “I held back, man. I know you know why, but it won’t be like that again, I promise.”

Now Benny had a small, but genuine smile and Dean was relieved for a moment. “Still just as stupid as ever,” he jibed. “But you don’t need to worry about me, Dean. Sam’s your family.”

“And you’re my friend.” Dean tightened his grip. “I swear if you do something stupid down there or if Sam tries to be an ass, I will find another way and drag you out myself.”

“It’s not… It won’t just go away. I’m not fit to be around.”

“Hell, I can be a real ass to be around, too,” the younger man joked before bringing his right hand up to grasp Benny’s other shoulder. “Benny…it wasn’t fair to force you to fly solo like that. That’s how some of the best hunters go down; I’ve seen it, I should’ve known better. But that’s not going to happen again. You have resources. You have me. You’re not gonna be alone, Benny.”

Benny paused, eyes wide and looking conflicted, and Dean was ready to argue some more until the vampire reached up, muttering, “Oh, hell with it.” Then he was pulling Dean’s face in and there was kissing.

Dean’s jaw dropped in surprise and Benny took quick advantage of it, tongue sweeping in and wrapping around his own. Benny’s eyes were shut tight as he attacked Dean’s mouth and the intensity there kept Dean from pushing away the older man. Shoving down his first reaction, he let his own eyes drift shut and just felt. The brush of a beard over his cheek was new but exciting, and the warmth pooling below his stomach was familiar and he maybe, kind of wanted it to continue…

But it didn’t last long and Dean opened his eyes to watch Benny step back, looking like he thought Dean would throw a punch at him or something.

“What the hell?” Dean asked, mainly out of reflex since he thought he might actually be in shock for a change.

Benny shrugged, looking wary. “I’m about to have my head cut off again. Figured I should just take a chance while I could.”

That was enough to draw him back out of his numb astonishment and light an angry fire in him. “Shit, Benny, what did I just tell you?” Dean spat out and crowded the vampire back against the grafittied wall. “Once you get Sam and Bobby, you are hauling your ass back up here. Period. You don’t need any fucking last hurrahs because you’re coming back and taking whatever goddamn chances you want from now on, you got it?”

And suddenly, Benny’s face wasn’t all doom and gloom anymore. He was stunned, the blue in his eyes dim as his pupils were blown wide, but there was a beginning of hope in there. He rasped, “You mean that, cher? Not gonna come back and get my neck chopped again for the next chance I take?”

“Come back and find out,” Dean challenged. He shifted back, needing space suddenly, but that couldn’t keep him from glancing back down to Benny’s lips, a little wet. God, he felt like an awkward teenager who just found out that somebody at school liked him. He might even be blushing but it was definitely intriguing and despite how quick and to the point it was, it was a good kiss, and this really wasn’t the time to be thinking about it…

The older man caught the look and a grin began to appear on his face. He shook out his coat and stepped away from the wall, with growing confidence. “Well now, looks like I have a lot to do today, so let’s get on with it.”

Dean nodded and pulled his blade out of the car. Holding it brought him back to reality a bit, after the curve ball that Benny had just thrown at him. He looked at Benny, who also sensed the shift in mood. “Thank you,” Dean forced the words past the lump in his throat. Benny nodded seriously and Dean looked down, shifting his feet and realizing just how much he didn’t want to do this. Dean might be a little confused, but whatever Benny was to him—and apparently it was a lot more than he originally thought—the man wasn’t someone he ever wanted to hurt, and now he had to…

“Well, c’mon you wimp,” Benny goaded. Dean looked up to see an understanding smile on the vampire’s face and he managed a weak smile back.

He swung the blade.

Benny’s body dropped with a harsh thud on the pavement. Dean took a moment to get over a sudden burst of nausea, then bent down to gather up the body. He held it close and whispered, “You come back, now. I mean it, I will drag you back if I have to.” He then carefully moved Benny’s body to the trunk and started racing toward Maine.

~ ~ ~

His brother’s giant form appeared over a crest in the forest and Dean let out a sigh of relief. “Sammy!” Sam turned toward him with a strained look on his face and he was immediately on guard. “What is it, you OK man?”

Sam shook his head. “Yeah, Dean. It’s just… Purgatory is…”

“Yes,” Dean interrupted. He knew the feeling but had no desire to dwell on it or let Sam dwell on it. “Did you get Bobby out OK?”

“Yeah, he’s here,” Sam gestured at his left arm.

Dean glanced at his right arm, trying to peer under the coat sleeve. “And Benny?”

The other hunter paused and Dean held his breath. “Benny, too,” Sam confirmed, sounding reluctant, but now Dean was relieved twice over. “We had a vamp problem near the portal, but Benny and I cut them down easily.”

Dean nodded and exhaled in relief. His brother gave him an odd look but he didn’t care at the moment. “OK, let’s get them where they belong.”

“Yeah.” Sam took out his blade and spoke the incantation. White light poured from his forearm and started rising up. Dean wished that he could talk to Bobby again but supposed he already knew what his surrogate father would say if he got too maudlin. Idjit.

The brothers took a moment to watch Bobby’s soul rise until it was out of sight. Sam pulled out the spell for the second trial and spoke the words. When a flash of light appeared in his hand and his brother dropped down with a cry of pain, Dean rushed forward. “Sam! You OK?”

It was over quickly and Sam gritted out. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s done.” Dean watched him closely, but it looked like whatever strain he was under was fading. He’d have to look out for anything off for a while, just in case.

It would’ve been a good moment for a beer and a toast, but there was still another member of the party to bring out. Dean walked over to the Impala and popped the trunk, carefully laying out Benny’s body to the side.

Sam wrinkled his nose. “Dude, you brought it with you?”

Dean felt a surge of irritation, but answered calmly enough. “What, was I supposed to leave him in an alley and hope no one found him before we drove back? Besides, I know it’s not exactly comfortable carrying a soul in your arm for hundreds of miles.” Dean nodded to the pulsing light beneath Sam’s skin. His brother looked mulish, but walked over and repeated the incantation for Benny.

“Hey, brother,” a familiar Southern drawl sounded and Dean couldn’t stop himself from rushing forward and pulling Benny into a fierce hug.

“Thank you,” Dean breathed out. “ _Thank you_.”

“You’re welcome, cher,” Benny said, quietly so that Sam couldn’t hear, and that was enough for Dean to loosen his grip and step back. It couldn’t stop his grin, though, and he could see the smile lingering on the vampire’s face as well.

“We owe you big time, Benny,” Dean said loudly to include Sam, who was hovering awkwardly to the side.

His idiot brother was scowling at Benny until Dean hit him in the arm. Sam grunted and nodded at the amused-looking vampire. “Yeah. Thanks, Benny.”

The smile had turned into a baiting smirk. “You’re welcome, Sam.” Benny held out his hand for a shake, which Sam only took after Dean nudged/kicked him. Dean could see that neither one was going to play nice so he just sighed and opened the driver’s side door.

“OK, get in children,” he demanded. There was no point in hanging around here waiting for them to miraculously get along, so they might as well get a move on. They did, Sam fuming silently and Benny still quietly amused. He looked over at Dean and gave him a wink while Sam stared out the window. The hunter held back a laugh and cranked up the AC/DC as they hit the highway back south.

~ ~ ~

“Fucking finally,” Dean swore in relief as the bunker came into view. Riding with Benny and Sam was like driving with a muted hornet’s nest, the two expressing their distrust and animosity with heated glares and strict silence. They only made a few brief comments addressed to Dean whenever they hit a pit stop.

He thought that Benny at least would’ve preferred to talk to Dean, but obviously wasn’t willing to drop the tough vamp routine with Sam present. It was a long hike to Lebanon so Dean tried to make up for the lack of conversation by humming and singing obnoxiously with the radio whenever a song he loved came on. This at least got the bored vampire in back to crack a smile, and when Sam wasn’t looking, Dean added some ridiculous faces and gestures to go with the tunes. He was pretty sure that his brother did catch some of the more outrageous moves but he ignored them like a pro. Benny on the other hand, he nearly got to laughing out loud a few times and that was good entertainment for at least a couple hours.

It was silly. And stupid. And damn if it didn’t make Dean feel lighter than he’d been in months, years even.

They parked out front and Benny finally broke the silence with a low whistle. “This it? Think you talked it up a bit, brother.”

Dean laughed while Sam shot a glare back at the vampire. “It’s better on the inside, promise,” Dean assured, throwing open the door. “OK, let’s get you settled in, man. We can go pick up any of your things later this week.”

“What?” Sam exploded out of the car. “He’s not staying with us?”

“He is,” Dean said firmly.

“Dean,” he began, then looked back at Benny, who had climbed out and was leaning against the car, watching them. Dean wasn’t sure what Sam had initially assumed driving down (because the stubborn bastard wanted to pout and be quiet and not ask), but he would bet it was along the lines of: drive down, get Benny to a bus, and wave him off. “Look, can we talk about this inside?”

“No, this is not up for discussion. Benny’s staying with us.” Dean side-stepped his angry brother to go to the vampire and clap him on the shoulder. “C’mon, man. Let me show you the coolest bunker you’ve ever seen.”

Benny leveled a smirk at Sam as he answered Dean. “Let’s see it, then.”

Sam glared back at the both of them and he knew that this fight wasn’t over, but Dean ignored it, just trying to hold onto the first notes of actual happiness that he’d felt as soon as Sam and Bobby and Benny had been spit out of Purgatory.

~ ~ ~

Benny got the grand tour and he was looking more suitably impressed. “OK brother, this is clearly more than meets the eye on the surface,” he admitted.

“It’s designed that way,” Dean acknowledged. “Even so, the outside could do with some work. We’re just not… around enough to get to everything we should.”

The Southern man smiled at him. “It’s a good place, Dean. You made a good home here.”

Dean looked over the vamp, noting that Benny looked a mixture of impressed, envious, and tired. They hadn’t continued any of their discussion held prior to the trip to Purgatory, but it didn’t seem like Benny really believed that he would be staying here for long. That had to be fixed, but Dean didn’t want to make a big moment of it, so he just asked, “Want to see the best part?”

Benny nodded curiously and they walked back toward the living space. Dean opened up a door to show him a furnished, but sparse, bedroom. The vampire walked in to look around and Dean leaned on the doorframe. “We have a bunch of bedrooms back here. Cleaned up a few for guests, and some are still dusty, but can be fixed up if you want. You can take your pick.”

Benny turned and looked over him carefully. “Are you really sure about this, chief? Your brother isn’t exactly on board with this plan of yours.”

Dean shook his head. “I told you—Sam can go stick it. You’re staying and I’m going to make sure Sam knows how it is.” He paused. “I mean…you can go wherever you want. But this can be home, if you want it.”

Benny chuckled, but Dean could see the genuine pleasure growing on his face. “I’d say you’re an overly-optimistic idiot, but you can be pretty persuasive.”

Dean smiled back. “Damn straight.”

The vampire looked around the room again with more enthusiastic eyes. He asked, “So where’s your room?” All casual. Dean didn’t let his expression change, but he did feel his heart pump a little harder for a second.

Dean pointed to the wall. “Right next door.” He couldn’t quite read Benny’s face, but he added, “Sammy’s down the hall a ways. We’ve been sharing motel rooms so long we wanted more space now that we’ve got it.”

Benny hummed, then smiled. “This is a nice room, brother. Think I can settle in here.”

“Good.” Dean tried not to sound too relieved. “Is there anything that you want to go pick up? Leave anything down South?”

“Naw. Been…traveling light.”

Shit, Dean could guess why. Losing his connection to family and Dean dropping off his radar; Benny hadn’t had anything left to really hold onto; another thing for Dean to start fixing. “We have a few sets of wheels up in the garage that you can use anytime. And now that you’re staying, I can order a proper mattress for this room. Do you need anything else? Think we have more shelves or dressers in storage for when you fill up the place.”

Benny blinked and looked between Dean and the bed in confusion. “What’s wrong with the mattress?”

“Two words: memory foam. It remembers you.” Dean smirked.

That got a laugh out of the other man. “You’re somethin’ else, now what the hell you talking about?”

Dean waved him over. “C’mon, I’ll show you.” A few steps down the hall and they entered the hunter’s room. He went over to the bed and sat down, patting the space next to him. “Feel this? Now this is a helluva lot better than stretching out in a truck bed with a ratty, old blanket.”

Benny gave it a poke and watched the material wrap around his fingers. “Huh, what d’ya know,” he commented.

The younger man shook his head. “Didn’t watch many infomercials while you were up here last, did you?” Dean didn’t wait for an answer before continuing, “We’ll get you one of these. And there’s already a mini-fridge somewhere for ya. We’ll poke around storage later if you want to look for anything else you might like.”

The vampire nodded absently, now looking around the space with interest; taking in the guns and blades, the magazines and books on the dresser, and the few scattered photos. Finally he sat down next to Dean, commenting, “Cozy.”

With Benny’s arm a hair’s breadth away and both finally sitting still since they arrived and Sam out of the way, Dean was…well, not _nervous_. He was just remembering suddenly what that beard had felt like on his jawline and he wanted to try… He shook it off, though. Just because Benny’d had a last-minute craving for a little action before his head was chopped off, didn’t mean that he actually wanted to continue that line with Dean. Now wasn’t the time; Benny could very well have reconsidered, even if Dean was—maybe—getting signals. It would be the vampire’s call. He glanced over to see the other man shaking his head in what looked like disbelief.

“Can’t believe I almost missed this,” Benny murmured.

“What?” The vampire hesitated. “Benny, missed what?”

“I almost didn’t come back, brother,” he admitted and Dean tensed, even though the moment was already past and Benny was right here. “When those vamps hit us, I thought I’d just let Sam go on ahead and hold them back myself. Wasn’t sure I could go back to the hunger up here.” He fell quiet and Dean leaned close.

“But you came back.” Saying it aloud helped with this sudden anxiety some.

“I did.” Benny began to smile again. “I figured I didn’t want to make you spend more time finding a back door to get me later.”

Dean huffed a laugh. “Good thing you came to your senses. I would’ve been pissed.”

“So you said before. So I took a chance that you weren’t lying.”

“Hey, you’re one of the few people I haven’t made a habit of lying to. Besides, you always seem to know if I try.” Dean nudged his shoulder and Benny smirked back.

“Well, I don’t get lied to; not since before you were a glimmer in your pappy’s eye,” his friend declared, making Dean laugh. Benny’s face turned serious. “I’m just…I’m glad I took that chance, Dean.”

This was becoming a moment. And for all that Dean verbally abused these situations and sharing sentiment, his main problem was that he just didn’t know how to react. He wanted to tell Benny how glad he felt and how he had already been plotting a backup plan to get him out (mainly brainstorming ways to bribe a reaper). But his throat was dry and all he could do was look at Benny. The vampire looked back but his kind weren’t made to read minds any more than humans were and Dean was bursting to say _something_ that would get his thoughts across. A moment later, he bucked up and managed to reach out and lightly grasp the other man’s wrist. After a hard swallow, he rasped, “I never want you going back there.” It was only a fraction of what he wanted to say, though it was true enough, but it must have got some of the message across because Benny’s face softened.

“I hear ya, brother,” he said quietly. It was Benny who took the initiative to turn his wrist around and shift up to properly hold Dean’s hand, calloused fingers brushing against his own. There was a voice in his head, sounding remarkably like John Winchester, saying that was enough with the mush already. But Dean wasn’t ready to let go. The pressure from Benny’s hand felt good, like it was keeping him grounded. And it had been a long time since anyone had looked at him like he was someone worth coming back to. It was too much to keep looking directly at the vampire, but he squeezed the rough hand in his and was reassured when his friend squeezed back.

They sat in comfortable silence for a minute until Benny nudged his shoulder. “You should probably go talk to your brother now,” he suggested and Dean grunted in acknowledgment, frown appearing on his face. It wouldn’t be a pleasant conversation.

“You’re right. Are you OK for a while? We can make a blood run first if you need it.”

“No, I’m good. Won’t need anything before tomorrow. Now quit stalling and go.”

Dean chuckled and stood up, stretching his back out a bit, still not recovered from the long drive. “Fine, fine. I’m going.” He walked to the door and paused, looking back at Benny. “You sure you’re good, man?”

“I’m sure. Might just test out this memory foam thing of yours.” He smiled and let himself fall back onto the bed, sinking in with a pleased sound.

Dean smiled. “Make yourself at home, buddy.” He took in the image of Benny, sprawled out and happy, before turning to go find Sam and fight to keep the vampire.

~ ~ ~

“He can’t stay here.”

Dean sighed and ran a hand over his face. Sam didn’t waste any time trying to kick Benny right back out of the bunker. “Sam…”

“No, Dean. He can’t stay. I respect that he helped you out of Purgatory in the first place and, yeah, I get that he helped me and Bobby too.” The Samsquatch was pacing back and forth in front of the map boards. “None of that means the he should just move in with us.”

He held up a hand to try and stop the pacing. “He needs a place to stay. He saved your life. He saved Bobby’s soul. We owe him _big_ time. That should be enough.”

“Well it’s not,” Sam bit out. Dean slumped back to lean against the table. The taller brother looked him over and his eyebrows creased in thought. “Wait, did you make some kind of deal with him? Lead us through Purgatory and get a free bunk? Cause that’s not cool, man.”

“No, damn it. He’s not some fucking demon and he didn’t try to bargain with me. I offered.” Dean glared back at his brother. “And after everything that he’s done for us and even dealing with the shit you put him through with Martin, he deserves to stay.”

“He’s a vampire!”

“I don’t give a crap!” Dean retorted. “And neither should you because, hey, he’s not hurting anyone.”

“He will,” Sam insisted darkly.

“Yeah? And we should just torch everyone who _might_ do something bad? We do a whole lotta bad ourselves.”

“What, is this a guilt-thing because we’ve made decisions like this before?”

“No!” Dean smacked the table and actually got Sam’s full attention for a moment. “Damn it, Sam, it’s a ‘help-out-a-friend’ thing. Why can’t you get that?”

Sam crossed his arms and glowered. “Because why would a vampire be friends with a hunter if there wasn’t something in it for him?”

“Benny’s different. He doesn’t hurt people.”

“What if he’s lying?”

“He’s not.”

“But what if he is? He’s dangerous, why can’t you see that?”

“Because he’s _not_ lying,” Dean gritted out. Sam raised an eyebrow and Dean let out a breath. “Look, man, I know him a helluva lot better than you do. I’m not even expecting you to trust him right away. Just…give him a shot. Let him stay.”

His brother stared at him for a long minute and Dean made an effort not to look combative; he was tired of fighting. “Why are you pushing so hard for him?” Sam finally asked.

Dean looked back and firmly stated, “He’s my friend, Sam. He’s always had my back.” Which he’d said before but he would keep saying it until it stuck in his brother’s thick head.

Sam clenched his jaw a moment, then commented, “When Bobby met him, he thought that you had gone off the rails since he’d been gone.”

That stung, and Dean knew that was exactly why Sam had said it. “Bobby met Benny for all of a few hours. It’s not like there was any time to introduce them nicely. He would’ve got over it.” He stood up. “That’s enough for now, Sam. Give it some time; try to get to know him a little. Or hell, just try not glaring at him all the time and see what happens.” Turning, he ignored Sam’s final mutterings and walked back to the living quarters.

~ ~ ~

Feeling gritty, Dean took a quick shower before heading back to his room. He came up to Benny’s door, which was standing open, so Dean looked in. But the vampire wasn’t there. Frowning, he just hoped that if Benny was exploring the bunker some more that he wouldn’t run into Sam; he had no desire to break up that clash of stubbornness tonight. When he reached his room, however, he found that he didn’t need to worry. The man was still sprawled out on his bed, arms stretched up behind his head and eyes closed, all relaxed.

Dean raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected Benny to fall asleep, if that’s what he was doing. It could be hard to tell with him; Dean was never sure if it was because he was a vampire or just a light breather, but Benny had surprised him more than once in Purgatory. He debated whether to go next door and leave the vampire be or kick Benny out to his new digs, when the squatter spoke up.

“Think I could get used to this, brother.” Benny smirked. He opened his eyes, which stuttered when they saw Dean standing there in a towel.

Feeling a bit more on display than he had expected to, Dean turned to toss his dirty clothes in the hamper and pull out some pants and a Henley. He quickly threw the shirt on over his head and dragged the pants up below the towel. Benny had seen good portions of his skin before, whenever Dean had to patch himself up after a fight in Purgatory, but it felt a little different when they were in Dean’s room and Benny was lying on the bed. “Looks like you’re already used to it.”

“Well, I was invited to make myself at home.” Benny sat up, but only to shift back and lean against the headboard. He watched as Dean distracted himself by checking over his gear. Finally he asked, “How’d it go?”

Dean sighed. “Hate to break it to ya, but I think you’re Sam’s least favorite person in the world. But you’re staying.”

Benny idly waved a hand. “I’m always gonna be Sam’s least favorite person. But it’s good to hear I’m not packing my bags just yet.”

Another sigh and Dean slumped into the desk chair. “I asked him to be nice. Don’t know how he’s gonna be though, so maybe lock up if you’re sleeping. Sorry, man.”

“You ain’t got nothing to be sorry for,” Benny told him. The vampire looked him over critically and could probably tell how run down Dean felt after the past few days and his disagreement with his brother. Benny patted the space he’d left next to him. “C’mon Dean, why don’t you take a break for a bit? You can get back to worryin’ tomorrow.”

Dean snorted at that but walked over and sat next to the Southern man. He slumped back into the pillow, only staying upright because Benny wasn’t moving. He shook his head. “We’ll make it more homey for you. And I’ll keep at Sam until he gets it.”

Benny turned to him with fond exasperation. “You’ve said that already. Now try turning down that worry and just relax.”

The hunter frowned and poked him. “Why don’t _you_ go relax if I’m bothering you. This isn’t the slumber party room.”

The older man waggled his eyebrows. “Isn’t it? Seems like you got the bed for it.” Benny shuffled so he was lying back down again and looked up at Dean in invitation. Dean hesitated, a little surprised at the forward approach (those signals were getting stronger and Dean thought maybe they might even be genuine, but it was still so surreal), and cast a quick glance at the bedroom door that he had closed out of habit. The vampire’s voice went from teasing to coaxing. “C’mon, cher. We could both use a break and I can keep an ear out for your brother and make myself scarce if need be.”

Slowly, Dean moved to lie down next to him, watching his face carefully for…for Dean didn’t even know what. But Benny just looked back at him with a smile. Lying side by side wasn’t actually settling Dean’s racing thoughts at all, even though he was certainly more comfortable. Some of this must have shown on his face because Benny asked quietly, “What’s on your mind?”

Dean huffed a laugh. “Little bit of everything. Remembering where I ordered stuff for the rooms. Which hospitals nearby would be easy to hit frequently. How to bribe Sam to not be a dick. What to make for breakfast. Y’know, everything.”

Benny chuckled back. “Already got comfy for the night, so you don’t need to order anything. No need to hit up any hospitals until tomorrow since I’m fine. Your brother can hate me all he wants and I make a pretty mean omelet if you have the ingredients for it.”

“Got an answer for everything, huh?”

“That I do, brother. Got you covered.” Dean’s smile faded a bit and Benny asked, “All right?”

“Why…?” Dean hesitated.

“Go on,” the older man encouraged. “Ask me.”

Dean finally looked straight into blue eyes. “Why did you kiss me?”

Those eyes flicked down to the hunter’s lips at that and Dean had to make an effort to stay still. When Benny caught his gaze again, there was a hunger there that had nothing to do with blood lust. “Because I wanted to, cher. Been wanting to for a while now.”

That look from the vampire had Dean’s heart pumping hard again, and he still wasn’t sure about anything, but he needed answers from Benny. “Why? I left you hanging. Why would you want anything to do with me?”

“Dean.” Benny reached out to cup the hunter’s face softly. “I’ll say it again: that wasn’t your fault. You had to think of your family and didn’t want to have a problem with your brother. I don’t blame you and if it’s forgiveness you need, I forgive you. It doesn’t matter that you couldn’t help me then because you’ve helped me _every other time_.”

“But I bailed. I did,” Dean insisted, guilt rising and, damn it, he wouldn’t choke up. He _wouldn’t_. “I didn’t want to, I really didn’t, but the end point is I bailed.”

Benny leaned in close. “My problems are not all on your shoulders, Dean. And you’re here now. That matters. It matters a whole lot.” His thumb stroked Dean’s cheek soothingly. “You mean a lot to me, cher. And you’re the only reason I even wanted to come back here at all.”

Dean breathed out slowly and cautiously reached up to press his hand over Benny’s. “I’m glad you’re here, Benny,” he admitted.

“Same here,” Benny drawled. A beat later, he dragged his thumb down to press the corner of the hunter’s mouth. “Would it be OK if I kiss you again?”

Green eyes drifted down to look at Benny’s lips, his own parting unconsciously. The other man’s expression looked hungrier now, but he waited for Dean’s response. Hardly knowing what he was doing, Dean muttered, “Yeah, OK, yes.”

It didn’t take more than that for Benny to shift forward and attach his mouth to Dean’s. He didn’t immediately delve in deep this time around, but took a minute to sweetly press and pull at the man’s lips, firing up all of Dean’s nerves. The feel of the vampire’s beard brushing over and catching on some of Dean’s own stubble sent pleasantly rough shocks through him. The younger man let his mouth fall open and then tongue came back into play. Dean felt himself warming and flushed more at how little Benny had to do to rile him up. And this whole man-thing was so new and he didn’t know how he could…but he obviously _did_ and everything felt so immediate and hot and it was _Benny_ and he couldn’t pull away.

A long bit later, after making out hard like a couple of teenagers, Benny finally moved back, letting the both of them breathe for a moment. Benny’s eyes were dilated again and he leaned in again for a quick peck. “Damn but you taste good, darlin’.”

Feeling a little hazy, Dean somehow dredged up enough composure to tease. “You done, old man?”

The vampire let out a raspy laugh at that. “Cher, I’m nowhere near done with you. Not in any rush though, I’m in it for the long haul.”

“Yeah?” Dean leaned in close, sharing breath. “What’s that mean?”

“It means that you better gear up for an endurance run, because when we finally get where we’re goin’, you’re gonna be beggin’ for it,” Benny hotly whispered in his ear, at the same time reaching down to grab at Dean’s ass. At the hunter’s sharp intake of breath, Benny laughed again and leaned up to press a kiss on Dean’s forehead. “We got plenty of time, though, so that ship can sail another night. You on board with that?”

Whatever uncertainty was still clawing at his guts, Dean looked at the other’s bright smile and couldn’t help but smile back. “I think I can be persuaded. I’m with ya, Benny.”

“Good.” Benny gave him another light kiss and lay back down, Dean mirroring him on the other side. Seeing Dean’s eyelids droop, Benny murmured, “G’night, Dean.”

“’Night, Benny.” And for the first time in a long while, even with a vampire inches away, Dean was asleep in minutes.

~ ~ ~

Dean woke suddenly and alone. Which were both normal, but he was surprised to feel a little disappointed, not knowing where Benny had gone off to. But there was reason to think that the vampire could have gone off if he heard Sam coming around or just stepped out to wash up, so Dean shrugged it off and went to clean up himself.

There was a delicious smell coming from the kitchen and Dean walked in to find Benny cooking up omelets. The older man turned and smiled at Dean. “Good morning, chief. Hungry?”

The hunter breathed in. “Absolutely. And I’m betting that tastes as good as it smells.”

Grinning, Benny slid the last omelet off the pan and onto a plate. “Good timing. Here,” he passed Dean the fresh plate and took another. There was one more covered up on the counter. “Made another for Sam,” he explained.

“Is Sam around?”

Benny shook his head. “Last I heard him, he was still in his room.” He paused and listened closely for a moment. “Think that’s water running, though, he may be out soon.”

Dean was wary of the two interacting again but the food in front of him took precedence. Biting into it, Dean let out a loud groan. “Damn, Benny, that’s awesome.”

“Why, thank you, cher.” Benny sat back at the table, looking pleased. He started in on his own food while Dean inhaled his. When the green-eyed man slowed down, he raised an eyebrow at Benny’s plate.

“Y’know, I actually didn’t know vamps would eat regular food.”

The other man shrugged. “So long as we’re not starvin’ for blood, we can do everything else pretty much like a human. Helps to blend in, I think.”

Dean hummed thoughtfully while they both finished up. After a few minutes, the vampire turned his head and Dean could soon hear Sam approaching down the hall. Trying to avoid the intense silence of yesterday, Dean called out, “Hey, Sammy! Breakfast!”

“Yeah, what do you have?” Sam replied as he turned the corner, expression turning sour when he spotted Benny sitting casually across from Dean.

Dean threw Benny a look and the other man took the hint and contributed to the conversation with, “Omelets.”

The taller hunter glanced at the covered plate. “Benny cooked?”

“Well, he would be the only one of us who’s actually worked in a café, so yes. Damn good stuff, too.”

“If you like that, I’ll have to whip up beignets sometime,” Benny offered.

Dean tried not to drool. “Fuck, yes. We’re going grocery shopping later.” He noticed Sam looking back toward the door. “Eat it while it’s hot, Sam.”

The brother hesitated but moved to take the plate. He took a bite and his eyes widened, even though he didn’t say anything. Benny took it for the compliment it was, but Dean kicked out a leg to hit Sam’s foot. After a quick gesture from Dean, Sam told Benny, “Thanks.”

It wasn’t much, but it was coexisting and Dean would take it. He brought out his phone and checked the weather. “Forecast says it’s gonna be overcast and drizzling this morning. How about we hit up the hospital, Benny, and circle around to the store before we drive back?”

“Dean, shouldn’t we be getting on with researching? Maybe finding Kevin?” Sam spoke up before Benny could get a word in.

“Hey, you just went through Hell _and_ Purgatory, Sam. Literally. Why don’t we take a breather before jumping in with both feet, OK? Regroup. We’ll get Benny set up and then back into the fray.” Dean turned back to the vampire, who at least had stopped smirking at Sam and was just watching the two quietly. “You good to go?”

“Sure, I’m good,” he replied.

“Good. You’re on dish duty, Sam. We’ll see you in a bit.” Benny blinked down at his plate but Dean quickly stood up and grasped his shoulder to prompt the vampire to follow. The older man stood up without objecting and they left Sam behind to passive-aggressively finish his own breakfast and probably ignore the dishes.

The two walked through the bunker to the garage, where Dean led them over to a nondescript truck, not old or new, but with plenty of room in the back.

Benny raised an eyebrow at the choice and Dean explained, “Hey, I love my baby, but it’s daytime and she can be a bit conspicuous, especially for a local run.”

“Gotcha, brother,” Benny agreed, but still jibed, “not really much different than my old truck, though. What’d you call it, ‘a heap of garbage’?”

“Hey, man, that’s harsh” Dean whined. “This lady here may have the same basic outline as the thing you called a truck, but she runs smooth and hasn’t got a rust spot on her.”

Now Benny’s other eyebrow leaped up. “And I thought you only got defensive over your ‘baby.’”

Dean rolled his eyes and gestured for the vampire to climb in. “Just because she’s not a looker doesn’t mean she gets neglected. Last thing we want is our ride dying out and getting caught in a tight spot. No point wasting our time breaking down when we can just maintain her, proper.”

Benny shot him a smile as they pulled out and headed off down the road, and Dean was pleased to see the older man looking relaxed again. He stayed wary whenever he was around Sam, Dean noticed; he wished he could fix it but knew it wouldn’t change anytime soon. At this point, Dean was just glad to get Benny relaxed and happy solo; they could work on the roommate dynamics later.

“Your pap teach you cars?” Benny asked, continuing the conversation.

A brief shot of sorrow and the younger man shook his head. “A bit, yeah, but I learned most of what I know from Bobby.”

“Ah,” he murmured, looking back towards the road. “I didn’t say before, but I’m sorry about Bobby, Dean. I remember you mentioning him and I know he meant a lot to you.”

Dean’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “He… Bobby was…family. Not related, but it didn’t matter because family don’t end in blood.” Dean took a breath and was aware of Benny staring at him intently. He kept his eyes on the road. “Bobby was our father, really. Not that Dad wasn’t—I mean, Bobby was our other father. Since Dad was gone on hunts sometimes and Bobby would always step in to take care of us.” There was more to say, plenty more, but Dean was surprised he had even shared this much and felt that the vampire was probably surprised as well. There was a pause.

“I wish circumstances had been different, but I’m glad I got to meet him,” Benny said, slowly.

That earned a snort from the driver’s side. “Did I forget to warn you he can be surly? I’d say blame it on Purgatory but he’s always been that way.”

“I gathered as much,” Benny admitted wryly. “But I could see how much he cared for Sam with the way he protected him. And with the way he talked about you.”

Dean glanced over. He wanted to ask what Bobby had said, but Sam’s words were ringing in his head and if Bobby’s last thoughts of him were of disappointment, it would only hurt more for Benny to confirm it.

It seemed that this time around Benny had picked up on his thoughts because he continued, “I heard him ask Sam how you were doing and there was definitely a warning in there to look after you. And he talked at me like I wasn’t good enough to be the dirt under your shoes.” It didn’t seem to bother the vampire, though, based on his grin. “Think I would’ve had to run the gamut if he’d been topside when we first got out. He didn’t seem the type to pull his punches either.”

“He wasn’t.” Dean smiled fondly. “I think…he would’ve come to like you, though.”

“From what I saw, I would’ve liked him up here too.”

Dean could just picture the two working on something, out grilling or working repairs, and sniping back and forth with the sarcastic humor flowing like they were both so good at. He laughed at the mental image and when Benny asked what, he replied, “I can just see him threatening to break out the dead man’s blood whenever you irritated him and you suggesting whiskey instead.”

“You think I’d irritate him? I can play nice when it suits.”

“Everyone irritates him because we’re all idjits.” Dean smirked. “Your Southern charm wouldn’t sway him at all.”

“Don’t know about that, it worked on _you_.” Benny smirked, leering at Dean, whose face actually flushed a bit. There was something about the vampire’s tone, now that they were outside the bunker and he wasn’t asking for a big favor. This was casual teasing, everyday flirting, which Dean hadn’t had all that much of lately and it was affecting him more than he thought it would.

“Shut up,” he retorted, knowing that he sounded more pleased than he should.

Benny continued to smirk, but let it rest for now. “So where to, chief?”

“Hospital first,” Dean kept on driving, thinking of the best place to go. Benny nodded companionably and turned his attention from Dean to their surroundings going into town.

The early morning was just getting brighter with the low clouds and it gave a soft light through the streets. Dean glanced over to see Benny sitting comfortably and felt a quick surge of attraction towards the vampire. Maybe it was just fondness from their easy talking or just Benny’s presence filling up the cab, but Dean wanted to keep feeling this light as long as he could.

~ ~ ~

A few hours later, they were stocked up on both vamp and human food and were arriving back at the bunker. They grabbed the grocery bags and cooler and headed in. Sam was over in the library, doing something or other at his computer.

Dean wanted to bitch a bit at his brother to lend a hand as usual, but didn’t think it would go over well right now and Sam actually was looking a little worn down. Maybe the trial was taking its toll more than he thought. “Hey, Sammy. You hungry? Picked up some rabbit food for you.”

Sam looked up with only a slight bitch-face, which Dean counted as a win. “Nah, I’m good. Actually, I just heard from Charlie.”

“Really?” Dean’s interest peaked and he dumped the bags on the table to put away in a bit. When Benny just hovered for a moment, the hunter gestured for him to put the rest of the groceries on the table, so he did so and followed Dean over to where Sam was typing on the laptop.

The younger brother spared the vampire a glance but ignored him and continued updating Dean. “Apparently there’s a case in our area and Charlie wanted to let us know and come help out.”

“Charlie helped us out when we were trying to hunt down the Leviathans and figure out their game,” Dean explained to Benny before turning back to Sam. “Wait, in _our_ area? Did we have a housewarming that I don’t remember?”

“Apparently, hacking our cell phones gets within a twenty mile radius of the bunker, but no closer.”

Green eyes widened in delight as he grinned. “So any calls we make in here are basically untraceable? I love this place.”

Benny looked on curiously. “So this Charlie of yours can’t track you; is he good?”

“She,” Dean corrected. “She’s a tech wizard. Even more geeky than Sammy.”

“Hey,” Sam protested.

Dean continued, “So her not knowing where to find us is pretty cool.” Benny nodded thoughtfully, though he didn’t follow-up with anything further. Dean turned back to Sam. “Did you give her the address? How far away is she?”

“She’s actually already in Kansas. I’ll call and tell her where we are.”

“Sweet!” Dean grinned. Maybe it was because of the overwhelming angst and terror that he was feeling before Sam returned from Purgatory ferrying two souls, but everything seemed brighter than it had been in a long time. He wondered if he was riding some sort of oxytocin high from all of the good feelings lately. He couldn’t even be paranoid long enough to consciously remember that things would probably take a downward turn soon like they usually did. Sam and Benny were safe, Bobby was in Heaven (safe enough), and Charlie was coming by for a visit. That was a gift horse not worth looking in the mouth.

The Samsquatch stood up and went to give Charlie a call elsewhere, so Dean turned back to the groceries left on the table. Benny followed just behind him.

“Is this Charlie a hunter like you? Should I get out of here for a bit?” the vampire asked, a little tentative.

Dean shook his head. “Naw, she’s a civilian. Just happened to get caught up in one of our cases and now we stay in touch. She’ll be cool.”

Benny hummed in acknowledgment as they made their way to the kitchen. “Sounds like a good friend.”

“Charlie’s awesome,” Dean declared. “Sure, she’s a total geek, but it’s fun, y’know. We…ah…”

Dean wondered how to describe LARPing to a vampire who was in Purgatory for fifty years when Benny prompted, “Did you and her have a thing going?”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “No! Dude, no. Charlie’s into the ladies. She’s like a little sister.” Dean laid his bags on the counter and started sorting everything inside. “She just got us into her geeky shit and now we, uh, LARP, whenever there’s a battle nearby that we can meet her at.”

“A… battle? LARP? Not sure I follow.”

Dean felt his ears getting hot. “Stands for Live Action Role Playing. Basically, a bunch of people dress up like knights or queens or whatever and they act out this battle for their kingdoms. Kind of like Civil War reenacters, you know those?”

“Yeah,” Benny drawled out slowly. He leaned against the counter to watch Dean stock the fridge. He was also wearing a smile that was both fond and amused. “Never figured you for the type.”

The hunter put the last package away and turned, avoiding eye contact. “Well, that’s where we ran into Charlie the second time, at one of her battles. There were people in the group dying and we found out one of the players was using a real fairy’s magic to get an advantage in the game. Since we were already there and Charlie was into it, we just…joined in after releasing the fairy.”

Eyebrows raised high, Benny asked, “Fairies are real?”

“Hey, man, hang out with us long enough and you’ll find a lot more crazy than that.”

Benny laughed and Dean finally looked back at him again. “Lots to learn, I’ll bet. Will you show me this LARPing thing sometime?”

Dean’s embarrassment eased at seeing some genuine curiosity in those blue eyes. “Sure. Charlie will probably drag you on board without even asking after she meets you. Be prepared.”

“Looking forward to it, cher.” Benny straightened up and patted the cooler of blood bags. “Think I’ll put these away and get a little shut eye. Not my usual time of day.”

“Yeah, man, sounds good. Why don’t I dig up a mini fridge for you and we can set you up later?”

The vampire nodded and went off down the hall. Dean smiled after him; there was no more hesitation in his friend as he walked back to his room. Benny was starting to feel at home.

~ ~ ~

A few hours later and Dean was killing some time with a Vonnegut in the library. Sam had gone off after telling Dean that Charlie would be by later, though the taller brother wasn’t looking so well. Dean hadn’t commented, but watched Sam closely as he stumbled a bit down the hall. He would have to check on the younger man later, but maybe Sam just needed more rest after Purgatory and the trial.

Dean had checked in with his contacts quickly to see if there might be any updates on Kevin, but when nothing raised the flag, he couldn’t focus and decided to actually relax until Charlie showed up. A noise sounded and Dean looked up.

“Hey there,” Benny greeted, walking over to lean against the table. “Saw a fridge down the hall, that for me?”

“You bet. Didn’t want to set it right outside in case it woke ya.”

“Appreciate it,” Benny smiled. “Any news on your friend?”

“Yeah, she’ll be along soon.” Dean stood up and stretched, setting the book to the side. “I better go see where Sam’s at, he’ll want to see her when she gets here.”

“Hmm,” Benny hummed, sidling up to him. He didn’t move to touch Dean at all, but he hovered in his space enough that Dean felt the urge to pull the vampire in those last few inches. The older man knew it too, but he just kept smiling and asked, “How long before she gets here? I can whip up something to eat.”

Remembering the morning omelet, that got Dean’s mouth watering, but he said, “She’ll be another half-hour or so, but you don’t have to cook anything.”

Benny shrugged. “I have the time, so why not? Just give a shout when she’s close, I’ll hear ya.”

Dean hesitated, some latent instinct about guest rules echoing in his head. “You sure? I’m pretty sure she subsists on chips and soda for the most part.”

“All the more reason to get some real food cooking.” The Southern man shot him a grin as he headed over to the kitchen. “Don’t forget to holler!”

The hunter just shook his head and went off to find his brother.

~ ~ ~

Charlie had arrived and Sam barely made it through the meet and greet, with just a little pitch to his stance. The hacker looked concerned, but brushed it off for now as she took in the new base of operations. They led her inside and Charlie stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looking over where Benny was just entering the library to set a plate down on the table. “Who is that?” she asked, surprised.

Dean stepped forward. “Charlie, this is Benny. Benny, Charlie.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Benny drawled out, walking over and reaching out a hand.

She smiled and grasped his hand only to let out a gasp and a startled look at Dean. “You’re a vampire!”

Surprised at the recognition, the hunter shifted into damage control. “Yes, he is, but it’s fine, Charlie. Benny doesn’t drink people, he won’t hurt you.” She looked a little skeptical and Dean was irritated to see a similar look on Sam’s face behind her. “Hey, how did you know he was a vamp?”

She held up her hand and waggled her fingers. “His hand is too cold. He also has slight dimples where vampire fangs retract and he’s with you guys, which is suspicious anyway.” A pause and then she bashfully added, “I might have done some research since running into you guys last time. I have a pretty good catalog of monsters.”

“Pretty clever,” Benny complimented, not looking offended at all, though Charlie still winced.

“Sorry about that, I just didn’t realize there were any friendly neighborhood vampires,” she apologized, when her eyes lit up. “Wait, are you like Angel from the show, _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_? Are you a good vampire with a soul on a quest to redeem himself?”

Bemused, he replied, “Not sure what you’re talking about, but I don’t think that’s quite it.” He looked quizzically at the brothers who also looked confused.

Charlie sighed. “I gotta get you guys Netflix. So how’d you wind up with these two?” She asked the vampire, who raised an eyebrow at Dean, as though he wasn’t sure how much he should share.

Dean met Benny’s look with a warm smile and simply said, “Benny saved my life.”

“Really?” Charlie leveled him with a look. “And what trouble did you get into where you needed rescuing?”

Dean shrugged. “It’s a long story, but I was stuck in Purgatory and Benny here showed me the way out.”

Her eyes widened. “Purgatory’s a real thing? How’d you end up there?”

“Like I said, it’s a long story. Just, never hang around any exploding Leviathans, OK?”

She marched over and grabbed Dean’s ear, making him yelp. “You are telling me the long story right now or you will be demoted back to Handmaiden at the Mid-Year Jubilee. And you _will_ regret not telling me at the Battle of the Kingdoms earlier this year.” Dean winced as she dragged him over to sit down at the table and Benny chuckled, as he and Sam both moved to join them.

“You were right, Dean. I like her,” Benny commented to the chastised hunter slouching in his chair. Dean pouted back at him and the vampire laughed some more. “Aw, c’mon brother, a little story’s not so bad. Here.” He pushed over the plate.

“What, no beignets?” Dean sniped, a little grouchy at the treatment.

Benny smirked. “Can’t rush beignets, Dean. Better to save those for when they can have my full attention. These,” he said, tapping the plate, “are fried plantains. Try ’em.”

It was probably a bit humiliating how Dean immediately turned to stuffing his face, but he didn’t care after the first bite. The groan he let out was definitely too pornographic, but the savory-sweet treats were just perfect. “Benny, you are awesome,” he praised through the next mouthful.

Sam looked disgusted at him but Charlie was looking between the hunter and the vampire thoughtfully. Dean wasn’t sure he wanted to know what she was thinking, so he shoved the plate over to Charlie, garbling, “Try one.”

She tried a bite and blinked. “Dean’s right. Benny, these are amazing.”

The older man looked pleased, only telling Dean to slow down before he choked. After she finished hers, Charlie demanded, “OK, now. Spill. What’ve you been up to?”

A not-so-short story later and the plate demolished, Charlie was looking wide-eyed between Sam and Dean and Benny. “The stuff you get into is unreal, you know that?”

Dean just barked a laugh, looking over at a thoughtful Benny. The vampire gave him a small smile when he noticed the hunter looking over and shrugged. Sam just shook his head at the both of them and told Charlie, “You have no idea.”

To which Charlie surprisingly admitted, “Well, I have a little idea.”

Sam looked confused, “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Charlie began, “after meeting you guys the last time, I sort of did some research on all things supernatural. I’m a wee bit obsessive. And I found these books by Carver Edlund?”

At that, Dean and Sam looked at each other with shared irritation. “We need to find every single copy of those books and burn them,” Sam declared and Dean agreed wholeheartedly.

“Good luck with that, they’re online now,” she countered and the brothers both slumped in defeat.

“What are these books, now?” Benny queried.

“They’re nothing; don’t worry about it,” Dean hurried to say.

“Dean,” Charlie admonished and turned to the vampire. “They’re stories about what these two have been going through since they both started looking for their father, who was missing, oh,” she stopped herself, with an apologetic look at the hunters. “Sorry.”

“It’s all right, Charlie,” Sam assured.

“And, all these stories really happened? Did you talk to the author or something?” Benny asked, still curious.

“No,” Dean grumbled. “The dude is a freaking prophet. He just saw everything we went through and wrote it down. We only met him after the series was already published.” 

“I see,” Benny said and turned toward Charlie. “Think you can get me copies of these books, sweet lady?” he requested, all charmingly.

“No!” Dean interjected. He turned and raised a finger in warning to the hacker. “Don’t you dare.”

She just laughed at him and gave Benny a conspiratorial wink. “We’ll talk later.”

“Charlie,” he tried to go for threatening, but really sounded more like a whine.

Benny reached over and patted his shoulder in sympathy and Dean just hid his face in his hands in defeat. He blew out a breath and tossed a weak glare over at the unrepentant vampire. Looking back at Charlie, he saw that she was looking at them with a too-curious look on her face again. “So,” he diverted, “what’s this case then?”

“When I was in Topeka, I saw this pop up over the wire. Tom Blake, a checkout clerk in Selina, who went missing on his way home from work. He was found dead yesterday, his insides liquefied. Locals have no idea what happened and they tried to bury the report so people wouldn’t freak, but I flagged it.”

“Sounds like something we should check out.” Sam went to get up but immediately slumped back down with a pained groan.

“Sam!” Dean went and placed a hand on the taller man’s shoulder, pressing to keep him sitting. “Look, that last trial is hitting you hard. You’re taking a knee so long as you’re off your game.”

“I’ll go with you!” Charlie piped up. Dean gave her a look but she repeated, “I’m coming with.”

Dean turned to Sam and Benny, but his brother just gave him a blank look and the vampire shrugged. “Fine, but if you’re going to do a ride-along, you have to lose the novelty t-shirts.”

~ ~ ~

Charlie strolled out of the dressing room with flair, showing off the suit that Dean finally approved. With a winner finally in hand, she looked over it critically in the mirror and continued chatting with Dean about the tablet news. “What about Castiel? He seems helpful and dreamy.”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “Dreamy, huh?”

“Oh, shut up. Y’know I looked up the fanfiction for the series; I can tell you my opinions on that, too,” she suggested and Dean quickly shut up on that account, not wanting to delve into that topic one bit.

“OK, right,” Dean huffed. “Anyway, Cas is in the wind. He’s got a tablet of his own and… well, he says that these trials are doing things to Sam that even he can’t heal.”

She looked concerned, but stepped away from the mirror to tell him, “If I’ve learned anything from the books, it’s that there’s nothing the Winchesters can’t handle.”

Dean looked back at her, but he was interrupted by a phone call. “Benny?”

“Hey Dean.” The vampire’s voice sounded over the phone.

“Something wrong?”

“Well, I just wanted to give you a heads up,” Benny paused. “It looks like your brother is getting ready to head your way to lend his assistance.”

“He _what_?” Charlie looked at Dean in concern as he raised his voice. “I specifically told him…”

“I know,” Benny interjected. “And cher? I can stop him, if that’s what you want. But I don’t see him changing his mind.”

The hunter breathed out, running a hand over his face in frustration. “No, you don’t have to. You’re right, it wouldn’t change his decision to be an idiot at all.”

The older man probably heard the dejection in Dean’s tone because he apologized. “I’m sorry, cher. I’d try talking to him myself, but I think that would just be adding more fuel to the fire.”

“Not on you, Benny,” Dean assured. “This is all on that giant lughead. I’ll deal with him when he gets here.”

“OK,” Benny replied. “Everything else going all right?”

Dean saw Charlie still looking at him in question and gave her a reassuring smile. “Yeah, we’re just getting Charlie suited up and hitting the morgue. Should have some answers soon.”

“Glad to hear it. I’ll see you when you get back.”

“See you, Benny.” Dean hung up the phone and turned back to the waiting woman beside him. “Well, it looks like Sam’s going to try to come our way, but he’s still a ways out so we can get to the morgue before he’s even in the area. Why don’t you get the suit and meet me out by the car?”

She agreed and walked up to the register with the fake card he’d given her. He went outside and double-checked the supplies in his baby before getting up front. Charlie joined him shortly after and they started out on the road. Dean was about to give her a few more hunting tips when she started talking.

“Y’know, last time we met, you told me about Sam breaking off with his girl. How’s he doing now?”

Dean shifted in his seat at the unexpected topic. “No ladies on the horizon if that’s what you’re asking, but we’ve been a little busy with the whole demon tablet issue and everything. I told you that a hunter’s life isn’t exactly conducive to relationships.”

“I remember,” she told him. “But you didn’t mention Benny back then. Or being in Purgatory for a year. Why not?”

“There were people dying and we were a little more concerned about that at the time. I couldn’t catch you up on everything and hope it didn’t freak you out,” Dean defended himself.

Charlie nodded slowly. “But I remember you were looking pretty down at the time, too. What was that all about? You said you hadn’t broken up with anyone, but…”

His stomach clenched in memory. Green eyes cut over to the observant redhead next to him. “It wasn’t just Sam cutting ties back then. We’d been arguing lately because of a vampire case in Benny’s area. Sam thought it was Benny, but I knew it wasn’t. It didn’t go well and it all came down to a choice. Sam chose the hunter life. And I knew if he was ever going to trust me…” Dean paused.

“What happened?” Charlie prompted quietly.

“I knew he wouldn’t trust me if I was helping a vampire,” Dean stated. “So I told Benny it was the end of the line, even though… Even though, he needed help. Before the case, Benny had found a relative of his and was starting to make a life. And after it went bad he had to cut those ties. He didn’t have anybody, so he called me to help and I said no.”

Charlie reached out a hand to grasp his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Dean.”

Dean shook his head. “Back then, it was a choice I had to make for Sam. But even after all that, Benny came to help save Sam when I asked him. So Sam knows that Benny’s trustworthy now, but he just doesn’t want to admit it. We owe Benny everything and he’s still being stubborn about it.”

There was a moment where she looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but changed her mind and smirked. “A Winchester being stubborn? Can’t imagine that.”

It got the laugh that she was looking for and Dean smiled back at her. “You got it, kid. Now, are you ready for this?”

“Um, maybe?” she hedged.

Dean sighed and started listing out what they’d need to do to get in the morgue and take a look at the body.

~ ~ ~

“Well that was pretty awful, but you did save our asses, Charlie,” Dean granted as they all shuffled down into the bunker.

“You’re welcome,” Charlie chirped back.

They dropped everything at the table and started digging into the lore, Sam in the books, Charlie on the laptop and Dean looking though John’s hunting journal. Benny walked out from the hallway.

“Hey folks, any luck?”

“Not much.” Dean shrugged. “Coroner was a tight ass and bodies have been shipped out. Just going on records and checking symptoms to see what did it. Definitely creature-killed, though.” Benny hummed back and Dean looked him over. “Anything exciting back here?”

The vampire smiled at that. “Nothing exciting. Just settling in.”

Dean grinned while ignoring the sour look on Sam’s face. Charlie looked on, curiously, but didn’t comment. Benny asked if anyone was hungry and when he received a negative, just gave Dean’s shoulder a quick pat and headed off back down the hall, murmuring something about sleep. The hunter watched him go, but pulled back into the research when Charlie started checking off potential monsters.

~ ~ ~

Two dead bastard djinn and a painful headgame later, they all walked out of the bunker, Dean watching Charlie closely. He was absorbed and didn’t notice the concerned looks that Benny kept sending his way, but the hacker did. She turned around, looking between them all before talking to Sam. “You know, those books portray you as one tough customer. If anyone can get through the trials, it’s you, Sam.”

The tall man chuckled and told her, “You should definitely come by and dig through the archives sometime. You are definitely a Woman of Letters.”

“I like the sound of that,” she replied and stepped forward for a hug. She turned to Benny and gave him a tight hug as well. “Benny, I’ll be in touch. We have a lot to talk about, so I expect to hear from you soon.”

He gave a low laugh and hugged her back, smirking at Dean over her shoulder. Dean dreaded what she may want to get in touch about—Chuck’s books lurking in the back of his mind—but he just shook his head, resigned.

“I’ll be talking with you real soon,” Benny drawled at her, pulling back to give her a sweet smile. He took a look at Dean, who was hovering by the young woman. After a quick nod, he turned back to the bunker and headed inside, with Sam following behind him.

Dean watched them head back in and looked to see whether Sam was just following the vampire to make sure he wasn’t up to anything alone in the bunker, but he couldn’t tell for sure. Either Sam was easing up or was getting better at hiding his dislike of the other man. A step forward in either case.

Turning back to the hacker, he saw Charlie smiling up at him sweetly before putting on her interrogation face. “Dean, about Benny…”

The hunter shifted on his feet. “Damn it, Charlie. Don’t tell me Sam got to you. It’s enough just fighting with him about it.”

“Not fighting,” she assured, and Dean kept looking at her warily. “I’m just curious about what he is to you.”

“He’s my friend. I told you.”

“That’s not all, though, is it?”

Dean looked away toward the bunker. “Charlie…”

“Dean,” she mimicked, hands on her hips. “Every other time we’ve met, there’s no point where you have ever looked this…this happy, and we just went through some serious shit. We’ve had fun, sure, but unless you were LARPing, there was always something weighing you down. Talk.” She poked him in the arm and Dean rolled his eyes back.

“I dunno, Charlie. He just… He’s… He saved me and I made damn sure that he remembered to save himself the last time we got into trouble together and I can’t just let him go on alone.” Dean muttered the last bit, but Charlie definitely heard it if her face was any indication.

“Shit, you guys are like Frodo and Sam or something, with you always lost saving the world and he comes along and saves you!” her eyes were sparkling now and the hunter groaned. “No, really, Dean. There’s enough bad stuff going on out there that you’d be real stupid to let something go that makes you so happy.”

“I want _him_ to be happy,” Dean replied as though arguing the point and Charlie punched him in the shoulder.

“You idiot,” she chided. “I’ve been watching him too; he looks at you like you’re the sun.” He gave her a look at that one. “OK, bad example for a vampire, but, like you’re the center of his world. It’s so obvious.”

Dean frowned. “I could burn him, too. The life Sam and I lead…it’s not going anywhere good.”

“So let him help you _make_ it good,” Charlie argued and when Dean looked at her, surprised, she scoffed, “Dummy.”

That got Dean to smile and he shrugged. “Maybe I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask for.” Charlie leaned up for a quick peck on the cheek. “Go get him, Romeo. Maybe use some of those moves you taught me about seduction.” She winked.

He gave a full laugh at that. “We’ll see, Charlie. Thanks for stopping by. What’s next for you?”

Her face fell. “I’m gonna go to the hospital.” She hesitated and gave a false smile. “Gotta let go, right?” Charlie shifted her feet and visibly tried to pull herself together as she looked back at Dean. “What about you, you gonna let it go?”

His heart clenched at the image flashing through his head of Sam lying in that hospital bed. “Never,” he stated, which at least got her to lighten up a bit.

“That’s my boys,” she said, fondly. After gathering herself a moment, the hacker looked the hunter in the eye and declared, “I love you.”

And maybe Dean was getting better at these moments, but he knew what to say to his adopted, geeky little sister. “I know.”

Charlie grinned at that and maybe was a little teary, but she stood straight as she turned and headed out to say goodbye to her mom. Dean’s heart ached to see her go on such a painful task, but he was proud to see her strength in facing it.

When he went inside to find Sam waiting, alone, to offer a defense for his involvement in the case, all he could do was wrap him in a full hug. Not only did it help ease the memory of the hospital bed but honestly, after all of the arguments, it was good to just see Sam as his younger brother for a moment. As family to hold onto and protect, which is all that matters. It stopped Sam from talking and the taller man tentatively hugged back. With a final pat on the back, Dean stepped back and said, “Tomorrow, let’s go find our prophet.” Before Sam could jump into any details, he headed out of the library to get some sleep.

~ ~ ~

Dean walked slowly toward his bunk, heart heavy, despite how easy he tried to be with Charlie and Sam. He remembered Charlie’s face when she told him about her mom. She had just wanted to tell the comatose woman that she was sorry and Dean knew—he _knew_ —how hard it was to need to talk to someone who couldn’t hear you. He couldn’t talk to his mom. He so often couldn’t talk to his dad. He couldn’t talk to Bobby anymore. Hell, even Castiel was in the wind now, and he had no idea if the angel heard his prayers. There was a long list of people who were beyond his ability to say sorry and Dean wished there was more he could do to help Charlie through it.

Getting to his room, Dean hesitated, looking over at Benny’s door. He wanted to talk to him…but wasn’t sure how long he could keep it together. The vampire had already gone through shit with the Purgatory trip and Dean should be able to handle this with some rest and tackle it better in the morning. It was tempting to look in real quick though, even just to check in, but that lure was too strong and Dean didn’t think he could hold out if he looked Benny in the eye.

He pulled open the door and all his plans of holding on alone (or with a stash of whiskey) tonight vanished at the sight of the vampire standing there waiting for him. Dean slowly stepped in and closed the door behind him. “Benny.”

“Hey. Wanted to see if you were all right.” Straight to the point, the older man looked him over.

“I’m fine,” the hunter managed to get out and he looked away to his dresser, trying to find a distraction before his composure cracked.

“Dean.” That was all Benny said, but his tone urged Dean to look at him again. His arms were raised in invitation and Dean was just tired of seeing the people he loved constantly suffering and it was enough to send him into Benny’s hug. He held tight and felt enveloped by the vampire’s steady frame. Benny’s hand ran soothingly up and down his back.

It was a few minutes later that Dean finally loosened his grip. “Thank you, Benny.”

“No need to thank me, cher. Just hate to see you aching like this,” he murmured into Dean’s ear.

Dean disengaged and stepped back, trying to reorient himself. “Still, thanks. You don’t need to put up with this. Our lives are just—shit. It’s a lotta baggage, Benny, you don’t need to…”

“Hey.” Benny stepped forward to close the gap that Dean had made, raising a hand to hold the hunter’s face. “We all got baggage. Nothin’ wrong with sharing some and taking a load off. You wouldn’t let me carry it all alone, and I’m not gonna let you do it either.”

“Benny…” Dean didn’t know what to say and damn but he was tired of never knowing what to say to this man who offered so much to him.

“Shhh,” Benny hushed and leaned his forehead against Dean’s. “It’s OK, cher. I’ve got you. You’ve got me; just go on and let yourself grieve for your friend.”

Dean tensed up even as he muttered, “I can’t.”

The vampire didn’t back away. “What do you need, Dean?” A thought popped into Dean’s head but he immediately felt guilty to even think of asking when Benny had been nothing but patient. The other man must have been learning to read his mind, however, because he asked, “What is it, what do you need? You can ask me.”

The younger man let out a choked laugh. “When these things get bad, I just stick to what hunters do: get wasted or chase some tail to forget, and pass out. Real healthy, right? But you… I don’t wanna…”

A pause. “Don’t wanna, what?”

Dean shook his head. “I don’t wanna ruin this. I don’t wanna ruin anything for you, but I’m a wreck. I’m not…”

Benny leaned to the side to kiss his cheek. “Sweetheart, ain’t nothing about you going to ruin this. You can ask me for anything. Always.”

In a flash, Dean understood part of what always made Benny so tempting for him. The man was absolutely genuine and open to everything he promised to give. Dean hadn’t encountered it a lot in his life, but Benny was just, always, unconditional. And he maybe, finally, was ready to take the first step in trusting that when it came to him.

He took a half step back but raised his own hands to grasp Benny’s face, the man looking at him with compassion. “Benny, I know you wanted this to take its time and build up, and damn it, I know you’re a romantic at heart, but I need you. Benny, can we…?”

The vampire had a small smile that he could feel shifting under his fingers. “Of course, Dean, whatever you want. I have the damnedest time saying no to you for anything, you gotta know that.”

A frown pulled at Dean’s face. “But, if you don’t want…”

“Cher.” Benny tugged Dean forward and breathed his words against the hunter’s mouth. “I _always_ want you. And slow is good, but I’m adaptable.” A kiss, pressing against him in the best way and focusing his attention toward the sensation. “Let me help you feel good again.”

The older man moved forward before Dean could even slip out a heartfelt thank you, and proceeded to fucking blow Dean’s mind. The hunter had felt at one point that he was a fairly experienced kisser, but Benny was delivering every highlight that he ever knew before. By the time wide hands had made their way under his shirt to grasp at his hips, Dean was already feeling hot in all the right places, just holding onto the other man for the ride.

Benny started steering them over to the bed and Dean felt the mattress against the backs of his knees. He was about to let gravity take its course, when he felt himself lifted and tossed onto the bed. It was disorienting enough by the sudden change in position and the frankly hot demonstration of strength that Dean let out a sharp laugh. The vampire gave a hungry grin in response and leaned over the hunter to fucking lick in his goddamn ear and actually had Dean caught between laughing and gasping.

“Benny,” Dean attempted to sound stern but was fairly certain he hadn’t pulled it off.

“ _Dean_ ,” Benny outright moaned in reply and Dean’s groin responded with sudden heat.

“Shit, Benny,” Dean cursed, his own voice now significantly lower.

Another quick grin and Benny returned to exploring all the ways to fire up Dean just with his tongue in his mouth. The man’s hands weren’t staying idle either, exploring Dean’s sides one moment and then traveling around his jean-clad thighs. A brush over Dean’s back pocket had him making more noises into Benny’s mouth.

At the next moment to breathe, the older man pulled back a bit further to tug at Dean’s tee, a question on his face. Dean nodded and Benny wasted no time in pulling up the fabric, giving Dean only seconds to move his arms before it ripped. The vampire leaned back more to take in the chiseled chest below and Dean heated up beneath the stare of appreciation he received. 

Dean brought up his own hands to shove Benny’s shirt up his chest and the man lifted it over in a flash. He hadn’t known what to expect at this point. To be honest, Dean had thought he might feel a little disappointed not to see full breasts dangling above him. But Benny was toned, with a wider frame than Dean, and also with a full growth of hair for Dean to experimentally run his fingers through. It was nice to see Benny twitch at the contact and even better to see his pupils dilate with passion. The hunter raked his nails back down again to see Benny give a full shudder and felt curious and turned on.

His fingers tapped the top of Benny’s pants and he hesitated for just a moment before turning his palm to fondle what felt like an impressive erection beneath those clothes. “Dean,” the vampire breathed out, shutting his eyes and reaching down to grasp Dean’s bare shoulders.

The green-eyed man felt surprisingly powerful to see how reactive Benny was to his touch and it prompted him to give a brisk rub over the material. He gaped a bit at feeling the older man grow harder under his palm and Dean went still at the motion. This was for him and all at once it made Dean heady and nervous and he didn’t know what. His hands moved themselves back to the more neutral territory of Benny’s belt loops as Dean regrouped.

After a moment, Dean realized that Benny was looking down at him again with a careful, considering look and he was embarrassed about being caught off guard. The vampire smiled above him and swept his hands from Dean’s shoulders to his wrists, brushing them wide and then reaching down to run along the top of the hunter’s jeans. “This OK, cher?” he asked, huskily.

“Yeah, Benny.” Dean’s voice was rough. “It’s good; it’s so good, I just…” But Dean couldn’t complete the sentence, not quite knowing how to explain his lapse.

Luckily, the older man caught on and continued, “…needed a moment. I gotcha, Dean. Mind if I continue?”

“Go ahead,” Dean breathed out and was pleased when Benny leaned down to kiss him again. After a minute of relaxing into making out, Dean felt Benny undo the button and zipper and felt a rush at the inadvertent tugging that leant to his groin. He moaned into the kiss, giving a short protest when Benny pulled back. 

Benny gave him a brief smirk before laying kisses onto his collarbone, trailing over his chest down to his navel, as he tugged Dean’s jeans down in turn. An almost forgotten ping from his hunter brain surfaced as it occurred to Dean what Benny might be planning. Eyes wide, he looked down at Benny, who had sat back to shuck off Dean’s jeans entirely, leaving only his boxers.

“Benny, um, is that a good idea? I don’t know if all that is…”

The vampire raised an eyebrow back, eyes smoldering as he leaned back down and settled over the hunter’s crotch. “We don’t have to, darlin’, but my mouth is a lot warmer than my extremities. And I can assure you, I’m not hungry; blood really isn’t the thing I want to have spillin’ from you tonight.” Benny’s hot breath fell over him like a promise and when the older man licked his very non-fangy lips, Dean was just gone.

“Fuck, Benny, yes. Please.”

“Of course, sugar.” Benny deliberately and slowly ran his fingers along the waistband and pried it up and over Dean’s insistent erection before flicking them down and off. And, shit, maybe Dean should have been discomfited at how he was presenting a very sensitive spot flowing with blood to a vampire, but when he reached his hands down to brush through Benny’s hair, it was all encouragement. And when Benny started in on it, all Dean could think of was the pleasure.

Clearly Benny’s kissing skills translated well to blow jobs, since Dean was considering redefining tongue-fucking based entirely on this experience. The man knew how to use his very flexible, wide tongue as the proper muscle it was, as he licked and sucked at Dean. His hands stayed wrapped around Dean's thighs, pressing and stroking, yet Dean felt completely enveloped. It was a struggle to stay still until a particularly strong suction had Dean’s hips jerking forward. They didn’t move far, though, as Benny’s hands quickly moved up to the younger man’s pelvis and held him back.

“S’rry. Benny,” Dean gasped out.

Blue eyes quickly flashed up at him, even as the man continued blowing his brains out. There was quick squeeze and Benny tugged Dean’s hips in small increments, causing the man to moan at the movement. Dean’s legs splayed wider as he tried to find purchase on the bed, but Benny was in control and he was just along for the ride.

The realization was a rush and Dean gave himself over to it. He leaned back with a groan and let his hands drop to grip the sheets below, twisting for all it was worth. His whole lower half was lost to Benny’s ministrations and as he grasped this, the pleasure was building itself higher, the heat pooling below, and he tried to send a warning to the man. “Benny, I’m…”

Another squeeze let Dean know he got the message, and then those rough, wide hands drifted and Dean didn’t know what he was doing until the other man had a firm grip on his ass and fucking tugged. Now Dean was spread wider and there was a cool press against some very sensitive skin and it was a shock and a pleasure and then Dean was coming down Benny’s throat in a gush.

“Benny!” Dean gasped out as Benny proceeded to suck him through the throes and wind down. Finally, Dean shuddered as the older man gave him a few final licks to his spent dick before shifting up to lie next to the hunter.

“Dean,” Benny murmured as he nuzzled into the younger man’s hair as he recovered. “You’re beautiful when you come.”

“Shit, Benny,” Dean tried to whine in embarrassment but was completely flushed over with pleasure. It only made the vampire chuckle anyway and Dean had to turn and kiss him, tasting himself on the man’s lips. As he shifted closer, Dean could feel Benny’s still very-present need pressing against his stomach. “You need…?”

Benny kissed him wetly before replying. “I’ve got this, darlin’, if you don’t mind me stayin’?”

“Yes, I want to see you.” Dean was blissed out and fumbly, but he didn’t want to miss this part. He stared into Benny’s blue, pupil-blown eyes as he felt the vampire tugging to release himself from his slacks. He could feel the quick pulls Benny was giving himself before he pressed closer to feel Benny’s erection bare against his stomach.

Benny moaned, “So warm.” He pressed up closer to Dean, giving the younger man an idea.

Feeling bold, Dean ran his hand down Benny’s arm and tugged at his wrist. “Wait, wait,” he breathed and before Benny could question it, Dean turned around, wrapping the vampire’s arm around him and pressing his back right up against the other man’s chest. Spreading his leg back over Benny’s, he shifted to get Benny’s erection right up against the cleft in his ass. Hearing the other man gasp, Dean looked over his shoulder with a smirk. “How about a little preview to later?”

“Dean.” In a voice that sounded like awe, Benny reached forward to set kisses along his jaw. He tugged his arm back to adjust himself and spread some of his precum over to slick up his erection for better movement. Then he set back into place and started up a rhythm.

Dean was spent, but with Benny rutting against him, he was starting to really appreciate the power behind Benny’s thrusts. Not only did the strength of them, even in this position, send Dean’s mind to all sorts of happy places to come, but Benny was pressing close enough to feel that large dick running over his opening, and the glide over the nerve endings there were sending pleasant sparks through him that he never realized he would find so appealing. Dean reached an arm back around to grasp at Benny’s head, twisting his back and tightening his cheeks to give a better squeeze around Benny. The other man cursed low in French and moments later he was shooting off between Dean’s legs until he stuttered to a halt.

“Dean,” Benny murmured again, pressing more kisses along his shoulders and hugging his arm tightly across Dean’s chest. “Dean, darlin’, you’re incredible. You keep on surprisin’ me, cher.”

“Right back at you, Benny,” Dean replied, smiling dopily. “That tongue should be illegal.”

The man chuckled and Dean could feel it rumbling across his back. The hunter stretched languidly, enjoying the press of the body behind him and the contrast of the cotton slacks that felt cool and nice against his own sweat-damp skin. His moving caused Benny’s spent cock to slip and he could feel the spunk cooling there but didn’t feel up to cleaning just yet. It seemed Benny had other ideas, however, and gently pressed on Dean’s hip.

“Turn over for me?” the Southern man requested. “Let’s get you clean and comfortable.”

Dean gave a half-shrug and let himself be moved. “Towels in the top drawer,” he muttered.

Benny just hummed back at him and Dean felt him move down rather than off the bed. “Think I’ll go about it a different way, cher.”

The hunter leaned up on his elbows to look back at Benny, who was sliding his cool hands over Dean’s back to grope at his ass. “What?” Dean asked, incredulously.

Benny gave him a cheeky smirk. “How about a preview to later?” He winked and Dean gaped and flushed, both surprised and turned on, but Benny was asking to do it and he wasn’t about to say no and honestly just gave up any hesitation when the vampire gave a lick right over his ass cheek. Dean let his legs spread in invitation and buried his hot face in his arms.

Every touch was deliberate and thorough as Benny moved him about, tongue diving here and there to lick up the mess left and Dean’s skin tingled in its wake. Benny started out broad and then began working his way in, making Dean actually quiver when he licked along the crease between his thigh and his ass. A low moan escaped when the older man gently spread his cheeks and that tongue dipped down low and laved over his balls. Dean’s hips jerked when Benny swept his tongue back and straight over his hole and the vampire put a little more pressure on his ass to hold him still. That tongue then swirled around the thin skin and pressed against the tight bud, making Dean gasp out his name. He felt a rush of hot breath over that sensitive area as Benny let out a husky laugh and then a wet kiss was pressed against his right cheek. A few more languid swipes around and over the area and Benny finally let off the pressure from his hands, running a teasing thumb down the cleft before stretching back up to lie next to Dean again.

Dean kept hiding his burning, red face in his arms for a minute, feeling all sorts of aroused knowing that in a few minutes his dick could actually be ready for action again from this intimate treatment.

“Dean?” Benny whispered quietly from the side. “You OK?”

“I’m good,” Dean murmured back, but the worry in the vampire’s voice convinced him to turn his head, knowing that Benny would be able to see how blown his pupils were from arousal. And it was good to see Benny’s face shift from concern to satisfaction.

“Well, if you liked that, know that I intend to get better acquainted, when you’re ready.”

“Looking forward to it,” Dean replied, huskily. He turned to properly look at Benny and must have made a face when his leg brushed a wet spot on the bed, because Benny got up to tug the cover down.

“Here, I’ll get that later.” And with that, Benny pulled back the sheets and actually tucked Dean under them, the hunter looking back at him, bemused. Before getting back in the bed, Benny turned around to the sink and grabbed a new toothbrush lying there. He set to cleaning up his teeth, while Dean looked on, starting to feel tired now that the vampire wasn’t keeping him on edge. The older man spat out the paste, took a moment to fully pull off his dangling slacks, and climbed back into bed, not hesitating to pull in close to Dean.

“You’re more of a neat freak than I thought,” Dean teased.

Benny smirked back. “Naw, I just wanted to kiss you some more. That’s more motivating.” And he leaned in for an open-mouthed kiss that Dean gladly obliged. It was nice and deep, but without any of the urgency of earlier. Benny pulled back with a satisfied sigh. “I should steal you away to do nothing but this.”

“Tempting,” Dean agreed, but knew with a certainty that it was impossible.

Sensing the tone, Benny just leaned in and pressed his forehead against Dean’s. “But if I can’t have that, then I’ll just be sure to make up for it with every bit of free time we can get.”

The younger man chuckled. “I’m not going to be getting much sleep around you, am I?”

Benny smirked again. “I’ll let you sleep after I love on you. Good enough?”

“Sure,” Dean concurred, heart giving a pleased thump. He stretched out and shifted until he was comfortably resting on Benny’s side, legs entwined. “Sleep, now.”

The vampire hummed in amusement. “Rest assured, I’m going to make sure you’re even more tired each time we get to lovin’.”

Dean gave him a quick jab where his hand was resting on the vampire’s ribs. “Not helping with sleep now, Benny.”

The man hummed again and pressed a quick kiss to Dean’s forehead. “Fine, fine. Get some sleep.”

The hunter sighed. “Thank you, Benny,” he said quietly.

“Thank _you_ , Dean.” The vampire ran a soothing hand down Dean’s back. “Sleep well.”

~ ~ ~

~A few days later~

“Hey, Benny!” Dean called. “We’re about to head out, you… What are you doing?”

Benny looked up from his book. “Reading. You sure you both don’t need a hand?” The vampire was sitting cozy in an armchair of the library, but the book cover in his hand was horrifyingly familiar.

Dean grimaced. “Benny, tell me that’s not one of the Supernatural books.”

“Fine, I won’t tell you.”

“Benny…”

The older man smirked. “Charlie sent the first few over express, they arrived yesterday.”

The hunter grasped the back of the chair and glared down at the smug man sitting. “There’s absolutely no need for you to read that garbage.”

“It’s not garbage, it’s your life, cher,” Benny retorted. But his face turned serious as he looked up at the hunter. “I know it’s private—your past and all—and I’m awful curious. But Dean, if you want me to wait to hear it from you… I can wait.”

Dean let out a heavy sigh and slumped down, putting his face closer to Benny’s. “It’s not that, not really. I’ve told you some of it already. It’s just…Some of it gets pretty ugly, Benny.”

Benny hummed. “You know I got some ugly bits in my history, too. That I mean to share with you, as well.”

The younger man’s face softened. “I know, I just don’t want to…”

“You ain’t gonna scare me off.” The confidence in that voice made Dean relax a little and he knew Benny could tell. Benny leaned in closer, reaching up a hand to cup Dean’s cheek. The hunter quickly glanced around, tensing up again until the other man gave a short shake of the head. Wherever the vampire could hear his brother, it wasn’t anywhere near them. “I’m with you, cher, all the way,” Benny murmured as he brushed and tugged his lips over Dean’s, sharing sweet warmth.

Dean leaned into it, but only briefly. While it seemed that Sam might suspect something now and then, the giant Winchester was mostly distracted, as his health seemed to keep deteriorating from the second trial. Their bad luck had caught up with them, with the message that Kevin was dead and only a far-flung lead out in Colorado to figure out the third trial. The only thing keeping Dean from full doom-and-gloom was the tight embrace of his vampire at night to get him through, but he was worried.

Dean sighed again. “Read ’em.”

Benny raised an eyebrow. “You sure?”

“Yeah. Just… Yeah. And, let me know what you think?”

The Southern man gave him another peck and leaned back. “You bet, cher. And you give me a call if you want me to head out your way. Or just call on your way back.”

Dean straightened and joked, “Don’t want us walking in on you watching porn?”

The response to that was a teasing grin. “Now I’m betting you’d love that. I was actually thinking of another surprise.”

“Should I drop Sam off at a motel first?”

That got a laugh. “Not this time. A sweet surprise.”

And one word was all it took. Dean wheedled, “A sweet _pastry_ surprise?” Benny’s eyes crinkled in good humor and that’s all Dean needed. He walked around the arm and leaned down to grasp Benny’s sides. “Benny,” he breathed, about to lean down for some more kissing when the vampire shook his head and tapped his ear. With some regret, he backed off and soon heard Sam shuffling from down the hall.

Dean watched his large brother come through the doorway, looking far too pale and wobbly. He barely held back from going to prop up the taller man. “You ready to go, Sam?”

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Sam replied, not entirely convincingly, but he was upright. Seeing Benny sitting nearby, his mouth twisted but he passed by the vampire with a nod only. It was a slightly-hostile co-existence now, which was the most Dean could hope for anyway. And Benny was actively trying not to antagonize Sam, which he had admitted was something he started off doing when rescuing Sam and Bobby from Purgatory. (“I just wanted to let him know how much you trusted me,” Benny had told him, while curled up with Dean the other night. “I wanted to rub it in his face a little, what good buddies we were, even though I’m a vampire. And at that point, I was hoping for more than ‘good’ as well.” Said with a laugh and a dirty lick. Dean couldn’t get too mad at that.)

The taller hunter walked up the stairs, headed to the car, while Dean lingered by Benny. “You gonna be good here? All stocked up?”

The vampire waved a hand. “I’ll be fine. Go on, now.”

With a quick glance at the door where Sam had disappeared, Dean rushed in to give Benny one more wet smooch. Leaning into the other man’s space, Dean muttered, “Be back soon.”

“See you soon, Dean,” Benny rumbled back.

And with a grin, Dean stepped back and went to follow Sam, throwing looks back at the vampire watching him with bright blue eyes. Things were getting bad and there was probably a shitstorm coming the Winchesters’ way, but Dean had someone to come home to. Maybe he wasn’t expecting it and it sure wasn’t the usual way of things, but damn if it didn’t make him happy and hopeful for a change.

He’d eventually just have to figure out how to tell Sammy that he’d picked up a vampire boyfriend.

Yep, a shitstorm coming their way.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


	2. Arrivals and Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevin is not as dead as some think and Cas is surprised that certain vampires are still around. And will Dean ever get beignets?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to go a little farther and add in some Cas and a pinch of poor Kevin. They really should have brought him to the bunker earlier.
> 
> Also, I am so, so sorry for the bad French. I got it from Google Translate. *shame* If anyone has a correction to add, please let me know!

Dean pulled up to the bunker, with one more prophet and one more angel than he’d imagined they’d have when they had started out on their Colorado trip. It was such a mix of surprise and worry and regret and joy that it made for a quiet ride as they all just tried to take it all in. When they got out of the car, however, Dean recalled that he’d be reintroducing a couple people and Kevin might not be all that comfortable with a resident vampire.

“Hey, guys. Come on in, we’ve got a friend holding down the fort for us.”

Cas was fighting to stand under his own power and didn’t say anything, but Kevin blinked confusedly. “Garth?” he asked.

“No, my friend Benny,” Dean said, noting that saying that had Cas looking over his way.

“The vampire from Purgatory?” he asked, and now the two of them were looking confused and Sam was being no help whatsoever.

“Yes,” Dean answered Cas without meeting his eyes, still feeling a bit raw at the angel’s sudden reappearance. “It’s fine, he’s on a blood bag diet, nothing to worry about,” he told Kevin. Without waiting to have a full discussion, he started walking toward the door, just expecting the rest to follow.

They made it in and Dean could see Benny coming over from the direction of the kitchen with a smile that didn’t last when he saw the others following. Dean put on an apologetic expression and the group came down the stairs.

Before any real conversations could start, Cas blinked and started right with the obvious. “So you’re still on Earth.”

“Evidently,” Benny replied, shoulders tense.

The angel looked over at Dean, who rolled his eyes. “He’s been helping us out, Cas. He hasn’t hurt anyone.” Cas nodded but didn’t comment, just looked over at Sam.

“It’s true, he hasn’t killed anyone yet,” Sam confirmed, a little reluctantly.

Dean gritted his teeth, wanting to argue but knowing it wasn’t a good time. Instead, he grabbed a wary-looking Kevin and hauled him over to the vampire. “Kevin, this is my friend Benny. Benny, this is Kevin.”

Luckily, Benny was on board and focused on the prophet, giving him a smile. “Nice to meet you. Glad to see your death was highly exaggerated—you had these two all out of sorts.” He nodded toward Dean and Sam and Kevin’s eyebrows shot up.

“Huh, didn’t know you guys cared,” the young man jibed.

That got Dean rolling his eyes again. “Shut up.”

Benny let out a laugh and clapped the hunter on the shoulder. “You have no idea, kid,” he told Kevin warmly, then looked around and asked, “Hungry?”

Dean’s eyes lit up. “Beignets?” he asked, hopefully.

The older man’s grip tightened before letting go. “Not this time. You gotta call ahead for those.” Benny’s tone was casual but Dean knew it was a reproach and tried not to wince. “We have jambalaya, though.”

Kevin actually looked queasy at that. “Think I’m out. You got somewhere I can crash?”

Now Dean winced sympathetically. “Yeah, man, angel teleportation can take it out of you. We’ll get a room set up. But I’m down for some Southern cooking after.”

Benny nodded and turned to Sam and Cas. “You two?”

Sam shook his head and hesitated, clarifying, “Not hungry. Gonna start researching the third trial.” Cas didn’t say anything, but followed Sam over to the library.

Dean shrugged and asked Benny, “Table for two?” The vampire nodded and headed out to the kitchen and Dean started herding Kevin to the bedrooms. “Let’s get you settled.”

~ ~ ~

After setting up rooms for both Kevin and Cas (both closer to Sam’s room than Dean’s and Benny’s, just in case of hostilities), Dean wandered back towards the kitchen, only to stop at the voices he heard within.

“…What’s stopping you from killing me now, Hot Wings?” Benny drawled.

There was a pause and Cas’ gravelly voice replied, “If you’re a guest here, Dean must have invited you.” Less of an answer, more of a question.

“Well it certainly wasn’t Sam. So, what of it?”

“He must trust you, still. He’d be offended if I killed you now.”

“‘Offended,’” Benny scoffed. “More like, ‘pissed off.’”

“Maybe,” the angel said. “But if you do hurt anyone, especially Dean or Sam, I will obliterate you.”

There was a tense silence until Benny acknowledged, “Understood.” Then Dean heard footsteps walking away and he made sure to stay out of sight. After a minute, he heard Benny quietly call over, “Hey, Dean.”

He walked in to find Benny standing in front of a simmering, delicious-smelling pan. “You guys done with that bullshit or is this gonna be like with Sam?”

“Should be done. We made each other understood.” Benny stated, seriously.

“Good.” Dean turned and leaned against the counter, now with a smile. “Smells good.”

That got a smile back. “Needs a few more minutes, then we’re all set. The kid doing all right?”

“Yeah, think he’s just tired. All this tablet and kidnapping business just took it out of him. He’s out like a light now.”

“Good.” Benny turned back to the pan, stirring it a bit.

Dean shifted awkwardly. “Sorry I didn’t call,” he said quietly. “When we got Kevin and Cas turned up… I got sidetracked.”

Benny looked at him again with an understanding expression on his face. “It’s all right, cher. That’s definitely an unexpected event. All it means is you’ll be waiting on those pastries awhile longer.”

The younger man slumped. “Man, I haven’t craved them so bad since Sam and I were kids and Dad had us holed down in Louisiana on a hunt. Only time I ordered something other than pie.”

“Sweet tooth?” Benny inquired.

“Sweet tooth,” he confirmed, looking sad at the current deprivation.

With a tilt of the head to listen for any interlopers, Benny leaned over for a quick smooch. “There’s some sugar for ya. Now get some plates, we’re about done.”

“Yes, dear,” Dean mocked, but went and got the dishes with a bright smile.

Benny rolled his eyes and served up the jambalaya, which the hunter promptly dug into with gusto. They ate while Dean brought Benny up to speed on all the details of the trip and Metatron and the third trial to cure a demon, whatever that meant. Once they were finishing up, Sam came into the room, looking awkward.

Before Sam could speak, Dean said, “You look like shit, Sammy. Eat something.”

“Maybe later,” he waved it off. “Cas is looking pretty beat, though. You got a room set up for him?”

“Yeah, down by your room next to Kevin.” He felt concerned but wasn’t ready to interact further with the rogue angel after the long silence. Benny sent him an unreadable look.

“I’ll get the dishes,” was all he commented and then turned to Sam. “There’s leftovers here.”

For once, Sam was looking more weirded out than irritated with the vampire’s presence. “Sure, thanks. I’m gonna get some sleep. We’ll research the trial more tomorrow, Dean?”

“Yeah, see you in the morning.” Dean said, distractedly. After Sam left, Dean spent some quiet time tapping his fingers on the table as Benny took care of the food and dishes. He should have helped, but he honestly felt more likely to fling everything into the trash while he sorted everything in his head and that didn’t seem very productive. Finally, feeling too jittery, he stood up. “Think I’m gonna head in,” he said, but didn’t move quite yet.

A quick glance his way had Benny setting the rest of the dishes in the sink and drying off his hands. “The rest can wait,” he declared, walking over and laying a light hand on Dean’s back. “Been looking forward to having company again.”

“Me too.” Their quiet admissions had them smiling at each other, hearing all that wasn’t said, including ‘I missed you.’

After retreating to Dean’s room, Benny started the conversation as they made themselves comfortable sitting against the headboard.

“Never thought I’d see Hot Wings again,” he said, looking sidelong at Dean.

Dean almost laughed, but just couldn’t get into it. “I’ve had that thought more times than I can remember.”

There was a long pause and he couldn’t read Benny’s expression. “I know you said Cas was back the last time we met, and he wasn’t when we got out of Purgatory. But you didn’t say what happened.” It was an open prompt to talk, without trying to pressure him with a direct question.

“I didn’t say because I didn’t want to admit it. When we first got out, I thought… I thought I failed him. That I wasn’t strong enough to pull him out.” He shook his head, holding off Benny from interrupting. “Then some douchebag angels intervened. They rescued him, but screwed with his head. Anyway, I found out… Cas told me that back in Purgatory, at the portal, he let go. He gave up.” Dean swallowed and glanced at Benny. The vampire was still except for his clenching jaw. “I get it, y’know. He felt guilty about…everything. But I just couldn’t hear anyone say it.”

“Say what?” Benny asked, carefully.

“That I should’ve seen it coming,” Dean admitted. “That he’d left before and he left again. That his penance was more important than coming home for me and Sam.”

“Aw, cher,” Benny murmured. He leaned in and wrapped his arm around Dean’s shoulders. “You know I don’t like him, but if you just want a listening ear for this sort of thing, I’m here. There’s just one thing I want to make abundantly clear.” Benny pressed to turn Dean’s chin up and meet his eyes. “You are _not_ the reason he stayed behind. Whatever was going on in Feathers’ head, none of it had to do with you. It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but…”

“But _nothing_. You slaughtered half of Purgatory to find him. You gave everything to get him back and he knows it. Hell, you’re the reason he followed us to the portal at all. I can’t say that I know what he was thinking,” Benny paused, with a regretful look, “but I know that I nearly chose Purgatory over Earth, too. The only thing convincing me to come back was you.”

Dean managed a weak smile. “But you made a different choice.”

Benny grinned back. “I had a pretty good incentive.” He kissed Dean then pulled back and looked contemplative. “Gotta admit, I did wonder for awhile, but you and Cas never had a romantic relationship, did you?”

The hunter’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Me and Cas? _No_. What?”

“Well, like I said, you slaughtered half of Purgatory for him. Makes a man wonder.” And there was a new expression; Benny almost looked jealous for a moment.

Huh. “Well, we didn’t.” He stopped to consider the vampire and what he was saying. It wasn’t an unreasonable assumption, maybe. “As much as _this_ has been going on,” Dean gestured between them, “I never really considered guys before. I suppose if things were different… But me and Cas have a complicated history. There’s too much hurt there to make something like that work. Even this, what _we_ have…” Dean tried to puzzle out the words but it was too new, so he shrugged. “I dunno. I think you just made yourself an exception to all the rules.”

The Southern man hummed and leaned in again. “You’re blaming this on me, then?” he asked, teasing. Several kisses were placed along Dean’s jaw, prompting a genuine smile from the younger man.

“Yep, your fault.” Dean chuckled as he arched into the touch, stretching his neck wide to the vampire. The other man huffed a laugh and continued kissing and nipping down his throat, fangs never dropping. An exception indeed.

Benny moved up to kiss Dean’s mouth, full and deep. “Now, see, if you weren’t so damn appealing, maybe I could stop.”

“Oh, is that how it is?” Dean shifted forward, reaching up to pull Benny in for another kiss. His fingers began to twine themselves through the short strands of Benny’s hair as the other hand fell down to the older man’s waist to tug him closer.

With a near-growl, Benny pressed against Dean, intensifying the kiss until they were both panting. Benny dipped his own arm to slip his cool palm up Dean’s back, making the hunter groan into his lips. A light scratch of nails over his skin had Dean pulling back and scrambling to undo Benny’s belt. “Jesus, Benny. Get this off.”

The Southern man’s eyes darkened as he began shedding the hunter’s clothes instead. “Like to hear you like this, cher,” he told Dean. “All demanding-like.”

Green eyes flashing, Dean gave a sharp nip. “Then get on with it.”

But instead, Benny stiffened and sat up. “Merde,” he muttered and Dean knew that someone must be headed their way. Dean quickly straightened up and fumbled his clothes back on, mouthing ‘who?’

‘Sam,’ Benny mouthed back, clipping his belt back in place and standing to lean against the desk.

“Damn it, Sam. Fucking cockblocker,” Dean muttered under his breath. It looked like Benny was thinking the same but cleared his expression when even Dean could hear his brother’s giant feet coming down the hall. He quickly straightened the covers as much as he could and just sat against the headboard when Sam knocked lightly on the door.

“Dean?” Sam edged the door open, stopping in surprise at seeing Benny in the room.

“Hey, Sam,” Dean managed, regular voice for the most part. “What’s up?”

“I was just…” Sam started, but stopped distractedly, eyes darting around the room, falling between Dean and Benny. His eyes widened and Dean’s stomach sank as he saw his brother catch on. Sam was no idiot. “Dean, were you just…? With _him_ …?” Dean could see Sam getting angry and knew this wasn’t a conversation for right here.

“Ah, shit,” Dean exhaled as he stood up and went to push Sam back out the door. “C’mon, we gotta talk.” He shot a look back at Benny, who was queuing up to follow when Dean shook his head. This would have to be between brothers. The vampire frowned but stayed as the hunter passed through the door.

Sam tried to turn toward Dean, but he gave the tall man a push down the hall. He didn’t want to be anywhere near other listening ears in case it got loud. Moving deeper into the bunker, Dean directed Sam into a mostly-empty storage space that he’d come across.

Shutting the door, he leaned against a nearby table to look at Sam. “OK, Sammy. What do you gotta say?”

“What do I have to say?” Sam scoffed. “I don’t know, Dean, how about: you’re sleeping with a _vampire_? Have you gone insane?”

“No, I haven’t,” Dean tried to keep his cool. “Me and Benny… Yeah, OK, we have something going on, but…”

“Damn it, Dean!” Sam exploded, pacing in the small space. “You know we can’t trust him and you’ve just completely let your guard down. When he gets whatever it is that he’s after, he’ll turn on you.”

“That is such _bullshit_ ,” Dean retorted. “How many times does he have to prove himself before you can accept that he’s my friend? Does he need to save our lives ten times first, or fifty? Swear some sort of oath? What?”

“He could kill you!”

“I could kill _him_!” Dean yelled. “And I did, for _you_.” That finally made an impact and Sam quieted. “Benny has trusted me with _everything_ and never let me down. Why the hell wouldn’t he deserve the same trust back?”

“He’s not human, Dean,” Sam countered, a little weaker than before. “Benny could always end up going back to his own kind.”

“But he hasn’t, even when he had reason to. Damn good reasons and it would’ve been a helluva lot easier on him. I’m not giving up on him again. He deserves more than that, Sam.”

“Bloodsuckers don’t deserve anything more than we usually give them for killing people.”

“I know most vampires don’t,” Dean gritted out. “But for a vampire that _doesn’t_ kill people? That deserves a little consideration, don’t you think?”

Sam sent him angry, brooding eyes. “He’s killed before, hasn’t he? Don’t those victims deserve justice?”

“If we’re digging up dark pasts, we’re not much higher above him, Sam” His brother looked like he wanted to argue, but on consideration dropped it. Dean knew they didn’t want to think about it all the time, but how many brothers have brought on an apocalypse?

Both men were quiet for a moment when Sam looked over. “When you sent Benny to get me and Bobby from Purgatory…”

“When I cut off his head.” Spoken harshly, both to illustrate exactly what needed to be done to make the rescue happen and in reproach for his own guilty conscience.

Sam cleared his throat and continued, “Were you two together, then?”

Dean waited a moment before answering. “No, not like that. We hadn’t talked since… We hadn’t talked in a long time.” He saw understanding flash across Sam’s expression as he remembered what happened in Louisiana. “But even after I cut ties with him, he came to help when I called. And Sam?” Here, he held Sam’s gaze to convey how important this was. “He didn’t ask for a damn thing in return for helping you. I asked and he came, even though he honestly doesn’t like you and he knew you wanted him dead. He let me _chop off his head_. Not all our friends would agree to that, you know.”

Sam gave a rough sigh, seeming to think it through. “So if not before…when did, you and he…? I mean, I didn’t think you swung that way, not for _him_.”

Dean turned away a little, hesitant. “This… is new. But we click, Sammy. I don’t know why, since I’m not into dudes, but it’s…good. We don’t usually get that.” He watched Sam nod slowly before asking, “Wait, who would I go for, if not Benny?”

Sam shrugged. “If I were going to guess anyone, I’d say Cas.”

“What the fuck, you too?” Dean asked, incredulous. “Jesus Christ, what is up with that?”

“Uh, who else…” Sam stopped. “Nevermind, not important. Just… I gotta ask, Dean. Are you absolutely, one hundred percent certain about Benny?”

“Without a doubt.”

Sam was bending, but he still cautioned, “If he does bite anyone, we may still have to kill him.”

“You may try to kill him. Depending on the circumstances, I may take his side.” A bit extreme, but Dean wanted to make his stance clear.

Sam gaped at that. “You’d make exceptions for him? Just how serious are you two?”

Now a light flush was growing on freckled cheeks. “None of your damn business and I’m not actually worried about making exceptions because Benny’s not going to feed on any humans. He’s on blood bags, that’s it.”

“What if he tries to drink from you?”

Feeling a little mean, Dean retorted, “It’s really not blood he’s after with me.”

That got Sam to make a face. “Gross, Dean. Seriously, what if something goes wrong and he’s starving and he tries to drink your blood, what then?”

Dean considered it, not wanting to make Sam mad but knowing what his gut was telling him. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t let him starve. If it came down to it, I’d try to let him feed.” He held up a hand when Sam started to protest. “No, I’d have to try, Sam. For however much was enough to get by, because I think he’d be able to stop.”

“You think a starving vampire could stop drinking fresh blood?” his brother looked incredulous.

Dean shrugged. “If anyone could do it, Benny could. I’m just saying that I couldn’t _not try_. Even if it went too far and you had to stop him, I’d ask you to only stop him, not kill him. For me,” he clarified, knowing that Sam wouldn’t think of doing it for Benny.

“You’ve made up your mind, then,” Sam stated, watching Dean nod. Looking rather defeated, he continued, “If he ever does cross the line, I’m not going to let it slide, you know.”

“I know.”

They both evaluated each other and that set the new status quo. Sam at least had an idea of how much Dean valued Benny and Dean knew that Sam’s trust wouldn’t come quickly. But there would be no more outright hostility. Dean knew the next question came just from curiosity.

“So how did this start, anyway?”

“You want all the gory details, Samantha? Should I break out the nail polish and makeup for gossip time, too?” Dean jibed, but sent Sam a small smile anyway, glad that the main disagreement was over with for now.

The taller man rolled his eyes. “Seriously. I mean, you’ve never done anything with guys before, right? It’s a little weird, isn’t it?” Dean’s smile fell, not knowing if this was going to be a whole new problem with Sam. His brother seemed to realize how that sounded though, because he followed up with, “Not weird like _that_. Just weird because it was always girls before. I’m a little surprised, that’s all.”

Not entirely reassured, Dean just shrugged. “Not more surprised than I was.”

“Huh.” Sam brushed some of his hair back in thought. “You have seemed, happier? Considering everything, I mean. Anyone else know?”

“Charlie knows, but that’s it.”

“Charlie? When’d she find out?”

“Apparently she’s got more brains than you, she figured it out the first day,” Dean sniped.

“So it started pretty much since we rescued Bobby,” Sam stated, filing the fact away in his gigantic head somewhere. “You gonna tell anyone else?”

“I don’t know how well that’d go over,” Dean said, slowly. With Sam, he’d just wanted to avoid bloodshed and see if his brother could learn to trust Benny first. Anyone else, he had no clue. He didn’t know who might take issue with the vampire thing and who might have a problem with the man thing. He hadn’t thought about it all yet.

He must have been projecting some of his uncertainty, since Sam spoke up. “You worried about the dude bit or the vampire bit? ’Cause anyone who wants to be a dick can go to hell. But you’re on your own with the vampire thing.”

“Ha,” Dean barked out a laugh. It helped, seeing Sam smile back at him a bit. Straightening up, Dean nodded at Sam, who nodded back. They were good. “C’mon, Sammy. It’s late, we’ll tackle the third trial stuff in the morning, OK?”

“Yeah, all right.” They walked out and headed back to the rooms. They parted ways at Sam’s door, giving a final goodnight. Then Dean headed back to his room.

Benny’s eyes caught his as soon as he walked through the door and the intensity in that gaze made him freeze. In no time, Benny had stepped up and pushed the door closed behind Dean before holding him close in a fiery kiss. Dean nearly fell back with the force of it but Benny’s strong arms held him in place and it was rather like their first kiss before sending Benny back to Purgatory. Slightly alarmed, Dean only let himself have a moment before pulling back.

“Benny,” he breathed out. “What’s that for?”

The other man leaned his forehead into Dean’s, pressing tightly. “You shouldn’t trust me so much, Dean. How do you even… I’m a monster.”

A short beat and it came to him. “You were listening in,” Dean stated, knowing it was true even as Benny gave a small nod. “Why?”

Benny pressed small kisses to Dean’s cheeks and lips as he spoke. “Knew your brother was mad, so I followed close by. Thought he might get mean. Wanted to be sure and then you said… Damn it, cher. If I ever get bad, you gotta just kill me then and there. Don’t wanna hurt you.”

“ _Benny_.” Dean reached up to hold the vampire’s face still. “You have nothing to worry about. You’re not a monster; you prove that every day. And I can’t kill you again, Benny.”

“You might have to,” Benny countered and Dean was shaking his head before the Southern man could finish.

“No, I _can’t_. I can’t kill you any more than I could kill Sam.” Green eyes looked onto blue, almost startled himself by the words. “You get it, Benny? You can’t ask that of me; I can’t do it again. I won’t.”

And after that, Benny kissed him passionately against the doorframe and Dean fell into it, losing himself in the feel of the other man wrapping around him. If he had ever imagined getting devoured by a vampire, Dean had never thought it would be like this. It felt like Benny’s hands were everywhere and he pressed forward against the tight body in front of him, moaning when Benny’s hips jerked against his and he could feel the outline of Benny’s cock rubbing up on his. In between kisses, Benny was spewing muttered French, what sounded like “je t’adore, mon coeur, je suis à toi, ma vie.” Dean didn’t get all of it, but had learned enough when he was younger to impress the girls and had a general idea of what he was saying. It made him flush more, even though he refused to think about the words, and even though he had basically said the same thing in Winchester-speak moments before. No, for now he’d forget it all and get lost in the feel of the rhythm they were building between them. The feeling that was getting more frantic by the moment.

Wanting more, Dean shifted until he had an arm wrapped around Benny’s neck and his leg stretched over Benny’s thigh. With a deep breath out, Benny reached down to grip his legs, pulling them up around his waist and pressing Dean back against the wall. The hunter let out a grunt as he was pushed back and it was strange and awesome to feel the strength running through the arms holding him up. It was even better to feel the thrust and need against his own and their pants were becoming a problem but Dean didn’t want to stop.

“Benny,” he breathed out as he continued to grind against the Southern man. “That’s… I need to…”

“Yeah, cher. I gotcha,” Benny muttered back. Adjusting his grip, the vampire held Dean up and walked them over to the bed, the both of them falling down on top of it, lips locking desperately from the brief separation. Now they had the leverage to attend to their clothes, which were stripped with fumbling hands interspersed with wet kisses. Finally, everything discarded, Dean pressed his hips up against Benny’s erection and felt an electric shock that had him moaning into Benny’s mouth.

“ _Dean_.” Benny’s voice was strained. He reached down and grasped the younger man’s dick, spreading precum over the skin. With a brief adjustment, he lined up his own cock next to Dean’s and started stroking them both.

Shit, that got to Dean like nothing else. The hot friction of skin turning smoother as more fluid started leaking from them both and Dean could _feel_ how much Benny wanted him. He reached down and pressed his own hand against them, interlocking his fingers with Benny’s as he got into the rhythm. The feel of those pressing fingers and the pulse of their want drove Dean back for air, eyes popping open to look up into the hazy blue gaze above him. Benny was panting just as hard and staring down at Dean with wonder and need and that, more than anything, set Dean off and he was coming between them.

He could feel his grip tighten on Benny’s hand as his other hand dug into the meat of the other man’s neck. Benny cursed low and with a couple more jerks, spilled over.

They both made half-coordinated thrusts as they came down, twitching from the aftershocks until they lay next to each other, legs tangled together and catching their breath. Dean was just beginning to come back into focus and felt calmed by Benny’s large hand cradling his jaw and thumb stroking his cheek. It was the look on the other man’s face, though, that had his heart clenching.

“How are you so good?” Benny murmured, eyes darting all over Dean’s face, as though taking him in for the first time. “How’d I get to deservin’ you, cher?”

“Hey, I ain’t so good,” Dean muttered back. But he nearly felt so, with Benny’s gaze on him.

The Southern man let out a sigh that was almost a laugh. “You’ve no idea how good you are, Dean. Can’t even begin to tell you. You’re the best thing to happen to me, sugar.”

Dean wasn’t believing it, but he could tell Benny did and that was just—so much. “You’re an idiot if you think I’ve done you any good. But you’ve got me anyway.”

“I do…” It was almost a question and Benny leaned in for a sweet, long kiss. “Damned if I know how, but I do.” Dean wanted to protest, or set Benny’s head straight— _he_ was the one who was good for Dean—but he could feel the slight tremble in the other man’s hand against his face and the intensity of his look made this not the time. No, instead Dean leaned in close for another slow kiss, keeping close until he felt Benny calm entirely. The older man pulled back to look into Dean’s eyes again. “Je suis à toi, I’m yours, too, Dean. You’ve got me.”

And wasn’t it something, but the man had Dean reddening in pleased embarrassment. “Shit, Benny, you’re so… So…” The vampire waited patiently for Dean to spit out the words, but all he could come up with was, “Romantic. French, really?”

Benny chuckled. “Happens you pick up quite a lot of it growing up near New Orleans. Why, you don’t like it, cher?”

“It’s fine,” Dean tried to act casual but had to move his hand along Benny’s shoulder just so he wouldn’t fidget. He rather enjoyed the other man’s drawl from time to time.

“Hm?” Benny kept looking at him.

Now it was getting harder not to fidget, so he continued, “Not all of us grew up in the bayou, man.”

That got a smooth grin. “You want I should teach you a bit, mon cher?”

Dean scoffed and evaded. “Never was much for languages.”

“Well, if you can handle speaking Latin—and I know you can—then a few words of français won’t be too hard.” Dean rolled his eyes and leaned back against the pillow with a groan of exasperation. But Benny just leaned over to follow, shushing the hunter with fingers dragging along his lips. “C’mon cher, darlin’.”

“I knew that one,” Dean grumbled, but gave a teasing nip to Benny’s fingertips.

“How about: je te veux?” Benny’s smile widened when he felt Dean gasp slightly around his fingers, still playing over Dean’s lips teasingly. “I want you,” he repeated low in English, giving a kiss to Dean’s cheek as he shivered below. “Tu es beau, you’re beautiful. Tu te sens si bien, you feel so good.”

“Benny,” Dean attempted to chide him, but it came out encouraging and Benny peppered him with more kisses, beard catching along Dean’s stubble with rough tingles.

“Je veux te voir rougir pour moi,” Benny murmured in his ear as the vampire kissed along his jaw. “I want to see you blush for me.” Which was hardly fair, as Dean’s face reacted before he could even process it. “Je parie que tu te sens si ajusté, I bet you feel so _tight_.”

The bastard was getting a reaction that Dean couldn’t hide and the teasing was going on too long. Dean gave up his attempts at nonchalance and pulled at Benny’s ears to bring the vampire’s mouth back to his for a deep, dirty kiss. The other man finally put his Southern tongue back to good use playing against Dean’s. They spent some good time sinking in and caressing each other when Benny pulled back.

“Je veux te savourer, I want to taste you,” he murmured next and Dean couldn’t hear any more. He gave a shove and raised himself up over Benny, who leaned back against the pillows with a smirk on his face.

“Not this time,” Dean stated, leaning down to kiss along Benny’s neck. “It’s my turn,” he stated against the skin beneath his lips and felt the vampire chuckle.

“Fine by me, cher.” His voice was husky and low as he stretched out under Dean, invitingly.

And maybe Dean was responding to the challenge at the moment, but as much as he was enjoying Benny’s attention, he was never a passive lover. Spurred on by Benny’s teasing and his own curiosity, Dean went to start fully exploring the body below him.

There was the full chest of hair that he’d noted before, and running his fingers through got the same pleased twitches. Looking further, he found dusky nipples that got an even stronger reaction when he tweaked one. Dropping his head, he gave a wet kiss to one solid pectoral and ran his teeth along the sensitive nub. Hearing a hiss and a raspy ‘Dean’ above him had him confident enough to play at it while his hands traced up and around Benny’s sides. After a few minutes, he swapped to the other side.

He had to admit, even with the different anatomical details, he was getting the same rush from his partner’s pleasure noises as he would a woman. Hearing Benny gasp and feeling shivers under his fingers was making him react in the best ways. A deep grunt had Dean shifting further, tracing the muscles down to a soft stomach, a bit damp with sweat and cooling fluids. With a smile, he licked over the bellybutton sticking out and gave a teasing glance up at Benny, who was watching on propped-up elbows. The older man smiled back, eyelids heavy and pupils wide.

“Didn’t know you were such a tease, Dean,” the Southern man drawled.

“Now you know,” Dean replied, and mouthed his way along the trail leaning down. His fingernails trailed over Benny’s hips, finally getting to what all of the buildup had been creating. Benny’s cock was thick and uncut, jutting up and tapping Dean’s chin as he shifted down, smearing fresh precome along his jaw. Feeling Benny’s eyes on him, Dean swiped a finger over his chin and brought it up to taste. That brought on an indrawn breath from the other man and Dean contemplated the flavor. He’d tasted his own jizz before and there was that same salty tang, not great, but not terrible. Benny’s was a little different, heavier or somehow darker, even if the description didn’t make sense.

That brought him back to the source. It was an erection, not so particularly daunting as he’d imagined and he now thought back on the blowjobs he’d experienced and knew where to start. Bringing a hand close to grasp it in place, he set his lips into a tight ring and sucked over the head. Dean felt a thump as Benny let his shoulders fall back to the bed, letting out a groan. That was plenty encouragement for Dean to open wider and try taking in more. Beginning to pump with his hand, he sucked lower and began to run his tongue on the underside, keeping it easy for now.

There was an aborted thrust from the hips below him and Dean moved his hands to hold them down. Another breath and wet lick down the shaft had Benny cursing above him, but before Dean could continue, Benny called his name, strained. Lifting up, he saw Benny looking down at him, mouth open. Having got his attention, Benny lifted a hand and twirled his finger around. “Wanna swing up here?”

Dean felt his pulse pound. “Yes,” he hissed out, moving to turn his legs around the bed and feeling his cock twitch when he felt Benny’s hands grabbing onto his thighs. When Benny’s mouth clamped over his dick and sucked hard, he swore and had to brace himself. Feeling the pleasure run up his spine, he shuddered, but opened his eyes to find himself looking down at Benny’s cock again. From the new angle, the erection pressed against his tongue and Dean took a moment to lick all around it. It caused Benny to moan around his cock and the relay effect was intense. Knowing that he wasn’t far off, Dean went over every inch of the thick shaft below him with his tongue, then sucked it in as deep as he was comfortable without choking. As it prompted an energetic response from the vampire, Dean sought to focus enough to keep up his pacing.

It was a circle of pleasure and pleasing and made Dean feel connected to Benny’s every twitch and movement. Even so, feeling Benny’s fingers brush along his erection even as the other man ran over it with his mouth was a surprise and had Dean letting out a deep moan. In the next moment, Benny tilted his chin up, taking Dean in deeper, and his hand pulled away to move up his thigh to grasp his cheeks. A wet index reached in to brush over the puckered skin. At the influx of sensation on both sides, Dean let out a gasp and felt orgasm overtaking him. Before it could overcome him completely, Dean sunk deeper than he had yet and sucked firmly to try to bring Benny with him.

It was effective and they both spent themselves, with flurry of gasps and groans. Not fully prepared and needing to breathe, Dean lifted up and felt the rest of Benny’s load spreading over his chin. Benny was swallowing around Dean’s throes until they both slowed and came to a panting stop.

As soon as Benny let Dean’s softened dick slip from his mouth, Dean carefully shifted off until he was slumped over the bed. “Shit, Benny.”

“Merde,” he agreed, breathing deep. Benny sat up to turn around where Dean was catching his breath further down the bed. Lying next to him, Benny’s expression tightened when he caught a look at the mess on Dean’s face. “Merde,” he repeated, leaning in to lick at the skin, cleaning up Dean’s chin and throat.

“Benny,” Dean breathed out, again. He fumbled over Benny’s face to pull him into a kiss, mingling their flavors. “Shit, Benny, what’ve you done? I can’t move.”

The Southern man laughed. “I did say I’d tire you out whenever I could.”

“Well, mission fucking accomplished,” Dean replied. He fell back and closed his eyes. The other man laughed again and shifted up and off the bed. Dean heard the sink running a moment and Benny returned with a warm cloth and started cleaning up the hunter. “Damn it, Benny, I can do that.”

“I know, but indulge me?” Benny requested, leaning in close and kissing Dean, who grunted back. He wanted to protest the treatment, feeling all sorts of soft and vulnerable and not wanting to get too used to the care so quickly. But he couldn’t deny enjoying it, too. It wasn’t often that someone looked after him like this, hardly ever, in fact.

Benny finished cleaning them up and maneuvered them into a more comfortable position to spend the night. Dean let out a sigh, partly in exasperation and partly in contentment. Now that he’d had a chance to settle back, however, a thought occurred to him. “Shit, how loud were we? Sam wasn’t asleep yet.”

“Not loud enough to hear down that way,” Benny replied with confidence. Dean raised an eyebrow at that and the Southern man chuckled. “Well, y’all were gone a few days. Did a little experimenting to check.”

Dean muffled a sharp laugh. “You’re kidding me.”

“Had nothing but time and I seem to have trouble keeping my hands off of ya.” Benny laid a wide hand on Dean’s ass, making Dean roll his eyes, but not protesting. “So now I know how loud I’d need to get ya before any other ears tune in. Although it could be fun to get you higher up that range.”

“There’s more than one set of ears to consider now, so don’t you go experimenting again so soon,” Dean reminded.

“Fine, fine,” he concurred. “But if they happen to wander off for a while, I won’t be holding back.”

Dean pressed a hand against the vampire’s chest and lazily tapped his fingers, just looking for contact as he continued to settle in. “You have a one-track mind, man.”

“True,” Benny admitted shamelessly. “Don’t know how I managed to keep off of ya so long.”

The hunter yawned. “’Cause I’m an asshole. Not easy to get past that.”

The vampire watched as Dean sunk closer to slumber. “I’ll fix that terrible outlook on yourself one day,” he murmured. “But for now, I’ll just keep letting you know you’re so much more than you think you are. Mon chasseur.”

Dean fell asleep with the press of lips lingering on his forehead and a smile on his face.

~ ~ ~

The next morning, they were sitting at the table, going through old records when Sam leaned back, rubbing the heels of his hands over his head with a miserable groan. Dean looked over, concerned. “How you doin’, Sammy?”

“Honestly? Not great,” he grumbled. “We’re not finding anything and this headache won’t go away.”

Dean itched to do something for him, but didn’t know how to heal the supernatural pain his brother was experiencing. Benny must have seen the desperation on his face because he set down his own book across the table and spoke to Sam. “I have a recipe that’s been sworn to cure all earthly ills so long as it’s a cold or a headache.”

The taller brother blinked confusedly at the vampire while Dean was torn between gratitude and laughing out of his seat. “Uh, what?” Sam asked.

“Chicken soup,” Benny elaborated, with a straight face, the bastard.

“Oh.” Sam fumbled a moment, nonplussed. He looked over at Dean, who didn’t comment. “That…sounds nice. Thanks?”

The vampire actually gave a small smile. “You’re welcome.” He stood and headed to the kitchen, only pausing to give Dean’s shoulder a quick squeeze when the hunter looked up in thanks.

Feeling Sam’s eyes on him, Dean focused back on the books in front of him. After awhile, though, he still felt watched and relented. Sam’s face wasn’t completely free of pain, but apparently he was feeling well enough to smirk at Dean. “Think I just realized why you like him so much; he’s been cooking for you since we brought him here,” he teased.

“Shaddup,” Dean retorted and threw a crumbled up piece of paper at him. “’Sides, you’ve been enjoying the home cooking, too, gigantor.”

“Whatever.” Sam laughed at him, good-naturedly. They went back to the books with brighter smiles on their faces. Soon, Dean could smell good things and was contemplating going to check that out, but then Cas came into the room.

“Hello,” the angel began and Dean stood up to put some books away, turning his back on Cas. “Dean.” The hunter continued to ignore him and started to walk away, maybe go check on the Impala, when Cas blurted out, “I’m sorry.”

That got Dean to look at the downtrodden angel. “Sorry for _what_ , Cas?”

“For everything,” he replied, quietly.

“Everything,” Dean stated, flatly. “Like ignoring us?”

“Yes.”

“Or like bolting off with the angel tablet and then losing it?” Dean continued, anger building up. “Because you didn’t trust me? You didn’t trust _me_?” He was going to go on when he spotted Benny hanging in the doorway, holding a tray with a bowl. The vampire wasn’t doing anything in particular, just looking on at the scene happening in the library, but somehow that was enough for Dean to calm down a bit. Shit, that just wasn’t fair.

The angel fidgeted, looking uncomfortable and chastised. “I thought I was helping,” he tried to explain.

“‘Helping,’” Dean scoffed. There were several snappy retorts that Dean could think of, but he just let out a heavy sigh. “I gotta know, Cas. Do you trust us, now? Because if you’re just gonna bail the moment you get ahold of the angel tablet again…”

“ _No_.” A bit strained, but a vehement denial nevertheless. Cas looked forlornly between the two brothers. “I do trust you. I wasn’t… I won’t leave again.”

Dean ran a frustrated hand over his face. He wanted to trust Cas’ word, but they were entering a repeating pattern with him and it would hurt all over again if the angel let them down now. In the background, Benny gave him a sympathetic look, and knowing that the Southern man could comprehend how badly this situation was fucking him up, it somehow helped. But he couldn’t lie.

“I wanna trust you, Cas,” he started and saw the angel slump. “But you gotta actually _listen_ to us this time around. You gotta let us help you work it out, together. Do you even get that?”

Cas looked relieved, but still a little unsteady. “Yes, I understand.”

“Good,” Dean replied shortly. He turned away from the damaged angel and walked briskly out of the room. He heard a murmur of voices from Sam, Cas, and Benny behind him, but he’d had as much talking as he could handle right now. With a pained heart, Dean suddenly wished that he was back at Bobby’s house, so that he could take a crowbar and just beat the hell out of some junk metal for a couple of hours until he could walk back in and have a beer with the crotchety old man.

Instead, all he could do was burst out of the bunker and breathe in the chilly morning air. The sun was still coming up past the hill and shadows fell across the drive, but daylight was coming along. Dean paced a bit and then leaned against the wall to look at nothing in particular as he tried to get a grip on this mess in his head.

He heard the door open and shut. A few more scuffled steps and Benny asked, “You doin’ all right?” Dean just blew out a long breath and shook his head. The vampire walked over and leaned on the wall next to him, shoulder pressing against his. “Wanna fight?”

“What?” Dean startled a bit.

Benny shrugged. “Might help you blow off some steam.”

The green-eyed man huffed a laugh. “Thanks, but I’m not looking for a punching bag just now. Just had to step away for a sec.”

“All right. Just so you know, I’m a decent sparring partner if you need one,” he offered.

“I figured. I’ve seen you fight.”

“True.” Benny grinned. “Also did a bit of boxing, way back when.”

Dean looked over, intrigued. “Yeah?”

The Southern man nodded. “Oh yeah. It was something to do after work sometimes. Bunch of guys around town were in it.”

He patted Benny’s shoulder in appreciation. “Nice. I did some wrestling when I was a kid, way long ago. Took home a championship, even.”

“That so? Must’ve been somethin’ to see.”

“Felt pretty good to win,” Dean admitted, smiling at the memory. He felt the previous tension slipping away. And that was probably why Benny had followed him in the first place.

“Did you keep the trophy?” Benny inquired. Dean would have to figure out if the man asked after keepsakes because he was interested in Dean’s background or if he wanted some for his own.

He shook his head. “Nah, left it with a friend.” He looked at the vampire, contemplating those bright blue eyes, twinkling in the dim morning light. “How do you keep doing that?”

A raised eyebrow. “Doin’ what now, cher?”

“You just know exactly what to say, don’t you?” Dean’s tone was a bit resigned. It seemed like Benny was going to make Dean softer, like he somehow could smooth out all of his frayed edges and he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not.

“Well, I like to think I’m getting to know you pretty well.” Benny smirked at him. “Actually, I thought I heard Sam mention something about a lead a few hours from here. Wanna take a road trip?”

Dean straightened up and clapped Benny on the shoulder. “Maybe. Let’s see what he’s got.”

~ ~ ~

A brief note in a margin about a priest who dealt with demons had Dean and Benny driving off to a town on the Nebraska border while Sam and Cas looked into other leads. Dean had thought Sam would’ve pushed harder to come along, but a couple of sly looks had Dean thinking his brother was setting him up for alone time with his boyfriend. Which was both disturbing and awesome. Either way, it put Dean’s mind on a certain track that favored the idea and if the timing worked out he had some thoughts.

Soon, they pulled into town and found out that the priest was visiting family but would be back the following day. With that fortuitous event, Dean was definitely settling some plans in his head as he and Benny hunted down a motel nearby to crash. Dean was in such a good mood, that he was singing lowly along with the radio. It was only after pulling in to park that Dean noticed Benny staring at him. “What?”

“You sing well when you’re not trying to be annoying,” Benny commented.

Dean pointedly ignored the compliment as he looked around, catching sight of some helpful places. “I saw a blood bank a few miles back. Do you wanna take a ride while I get us checked in?”

The vampire hummed, thoughtfully. “Might be a good idea to restock while we’re away. You don’t mind me taking her for a spin?”

“You ding her up, there’ll be hell to pay,” the hunter threatened lightly, glad to hear Benny laugh at that. “Be careful.”

Benny saluted as they got out and switched spots. “You got it, cher.”

He watched Benny drive off in the impala, with only a speck of worry like he usually got whenever Sam took her for a ride. Shaking that off, he turned to look at the pharmacy he could see down the road and contemplated a moment. After some hesitation, he gathered himself and strolled off to get some supplies.

~ ~ ~

Dean was poking around on the laptop when Benny came back, coming through the door looking a little strange. Dean turned toward him with a frown. “Everything good?”

“Yeah, it’s all good, cher,” Benny reassured. “Got any shower pressure?”

The hunter shrugged. “I’ve had worse. Water’s fairly hot, too.”

“All right. Think I’ll take a turn, then,” he replied, tossing down his bag and digging through for a change of clothes. “You good?”

“Yeah.” Dean waved a hand. “Go ahead.”

The door shut and Dean contemplated it for a moment. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say Benny was acting awkward and wondered if the vampire had something in mind for tonight. Well, he had his own plans. Dean considered whether to just go on and join Benny in the bathroom, but decided against it. Shower sex was complicated and he was hoping to enjoy himself this first time around rather than worry overmuch about logistics. He’d already thought that one through and through and taken his own shower before Benny returned.

To distract himself, Dean poked around on his phone for a while, but it wasn’t doing much for him. To keep from pacing or doing anything too obvious that the vampire could hear, Dean just quietly went about shucking his clothes, figuring the shower might cover some of the sound, and went to get comfortable on the bed. He hummed a little Zepplin to himself and ran his hands over his chest and thighs, thinking through what he expected to happen soon. Not surprisingly, he started to get hard, and he smiled when he heard the shower turn off. Dean kept going though, eyes closed and getting more excited at the thought that Benny’s hands would be on him shortly.

Dean didn’t stop his hands until he heard the bathroom door open and Benny sucking in a breath. “Dean,” the name came out a bit strangled.

The hunter finally looked over to see the vampire staring at him, hand still clenching the door handle as he stood there in his boxers. Dean gave his best seductive smile. “Hey, there.” Benny’s eyes darkened further at the low tone. “Done showerin’?”

In moments, the other man was at the end of the bed and leaning forward to trail his hands over Dean’s, currently drifting down his thighs. “Don’t you look invitin’, cher,” Benny murmured, looking the hunter all over.

Dean smiled up at him and raised his hands up to stretch out, making Benny tighten his grip around Dean’s thighs. The vampire didn’t move, though, which had Dean asking, “What’s the hold up, then?”

That got Benny to blink and let out a huffed laugh. “Here I was thinkin’ ahead.” He climbed up on the bed, running his hands over Dean’s bare skin. “Thought you might wanna try fuckin’ and did a little prep. And there you go lookin’ all delicious and tempting.”

Dean chuckled back at him. “Well, you’re not wrong.” The younger man tugged him close for a sweet, open-mouthed kiss. Then Dean pulled back to meet Benny’s eyes. “Look, I haven’t tried anything with guys because I was just never interested. Even though I’ve been hit on a few times,” he remembered with some embarrassment. “But I’m all for trying what feels good and I’m interested with you. So I did some prep of my own. If you want, I’m loose and, uh, squeaky clean.” Dean flushed a little at admitting that last bit.

Benny’s eyebrows shot up. “Clean? You mean…?”

“Yeah.”

Now Benny had that hungry look on his face that Dean loved to see. “Well, then. C’mon, cher. Shuffle on up here.” he drawled and Dean suppressed a shiver. Benny lay down, then nudged and pushed at Dean’s hips until he got the idea and turned around, shifting back until he was spread over Benny’s face. Face flushed red, Dean’s breath went a little uneven at the very intimate area he was displaying to the vampire below him and he shifted when he felt Benny’s hands run up his thighs to cup his cheeks and pull them apart. The warm breath he felt over the already stimulated nerves had him tingling and the first gentle prod of Benny’s firm tongue made him gasp.

At Dean’s sounds, Benny’s fingers tightened and he could feel the bristling of the other man’s beard over his skin. Backing up a bit, Benny mouthed over his ass, biting and swiping that talented tongue until he’d laved over the entire area. Keyed up in anticipation, Dean spread his legs a little wider to encourage the next swipe closer to where he wanted to feel that sensation again. The Southern man gave a pleased hum and pressed in to nudge the tight bud directly. Dean let out a long breath as Benny thoroughly soaked the area, playing around the edge before finally sticking his tongue inside the hunter. He felt the heat coming off of him as he flushed and just tried to focus on not thrusting back onto the man behind him. Goddamn but this felt even better than he’d ever thought it would, until Benny had come along.

Now the vampire was wriggling and thrusting his tongue in his hole in mimicry of what was to come and Dean was having a harder time staying still. The wet sounds were turning him on more and he was torn between moving this forward and enjoying the moment. Benny then inched his finger forward to play alongside the muscle and started to stretch. With how wet Benny was making him and the prep Dean had done earlier, one finger entered in with no trouble and Dean moaned at the addition. The older man hummed and Dean could feel the vibrations echoing through him and moaned again.

Dean’s knees edged farther apart involuntarily and had him pressing harder against Benny’s face, but the other man didn’t complain. A brief withdrawal and puff of hot air to make the man on top shudder, and then Benny raised his chin again and pressed forward with a second wet finger. That was more of a stretch and Dean was trying not to shift in place again as he adjusted to the addition. Benny combined his careful prodding with more swipes and swirls of his tongue to ease the transition and got Dean more settled. After a couple minutes or so, the hunter relaxed right up until Benny got a little deeper and touched something that had him jolt and cry out. Another nudge had the hunter squirming and the vampire pulled his mouth away.

“Ah, there you are,” he breathed hotly against Dean’s damp skin and dragged his blunt teeth over the meat of Dean’s ass, making him shiver. Benny twisted his fingers and gave a proper thrust, running along the bundle of nerves inside him and had Dean call out his name. “That’s it, cher. Mon dieu, you feel amazing.”

The praise and the next couple thrusts had Dean falling forward to brace himself on his arms. A convenient position, as Dean saw exactly how interested Benny was in the proceedings poking up underneath his boxers. With new determination, Dean pawed at Benny’s front to release that hard cock and get his mouth on him. He wanted to make Benny feel at least half as good the hunter was feeling. If the vampire’s gasp and subsequent cursing was any indication, he was in favor of the change. Dean sucked and licked at Benny, less with technique and more with plain enthusiasm, but it seemed to do the trick.

Benny fumbled for a moment, adjusting to the new position and Dean heard the snap of the lube that he must have grabbed where it was on the nightstand. Dean gave a hard suck in favor of the progression, which had the other man giving him a quick slap to his right cheek at his impatience. Fingers newly slicked up, Dean squirmed at the cool sensation but very quickly got back into it as Benny continued his acquaintance with the prostrate.

Dean was panting around Benny’s dick when a third finger was introduced. This was beyond the feeling of the first two and he had to pull off a moment to adjust. He pressed his forehead against Benny’s hip as the Southern man carefully shifted his hand to try to ease the way as much as possible. Benny ducked his chin to mouth at Dean’s balls, giving small sparks of pleasure even as he twisted around the intrusion. A few moments, and Dean loosened a bit more, making him comfortable enough to start licking at the dick resting against his cheek. Benny grunted and angled to rub against Dean’s prostrate again. That helped and soon Dean was pressing back against those fingers, looking for more.

Benny soon pulled back and tapped at Dean’s hip, making the younger man feel surprisingly empty. “Come on up here, sugar,” the man murmured, pressing a quick kiss to Dean’s thigh. Dean gave a last suck to the erection below and shuffled to lie down next to Benny. The vampire ran his hands around Dean’s chest and pulled him closer, leaning against his forehead. “Merde. Dean.”

Dean grabbed Benny’s jaw and pulled him in for a wet kiss, hearing Benny make a surprised sound. But he didn’t care. With the prep he’d done, he was clean and he wanted to kiss his vampire boyfriend and nothing was going to stop him. Benny was on board and returned the kiss with a vengeance.

Heated moments later, they separated and Benny nudged at Dean’s nose with his own. “Do you still wanna…?”

“Yes,” Dean interjected. Benny smiled at him and gave him another kiss, turning the hunter to lie flat on the bed.

“Gonna make you feel good, cher. Just relax.” Benny ran his hands over Dean’s chest, looking down at the other man stretched out under him with hunger and appreciation. Dean smirked back and shifted his legs around Benny’s, brushing his erection against the man’s stomach. Benny’s eyes darkened and he grabbed a pillow, lifting Dean’s hips and shoving it into place. He leaned down and mouthed at Dean’s stomach, as his hand moved back to play at Dean’s entrance. Dean groaned as he felt Benny filling him again and pressed down when he felt those fingers hit his prostrate.

After making sure that Dean was still loose, Benny moved back and tore open a condom. Rolling it over his dick, his eyes never left Dean, even licking his lip as he looked at the man below. Adding a generous amount of lube, Benny moved into position, pausing for Dean’s final nod before moving forward.

It was definitely a stretch, but Benny had prepared him well. Every time it began to edge toward pain, Benny stopped to kiss at Dean’s jaw until the hunter relaxed again. Slowly they came together until Benny was fully seated in Dean and they paused for a breath.

“You ok, cher?” Benny’s voice was tight, likely with the strain of staying still.

Dean nodded. “Just a moment,” he replied, a little tense as well. The pressure had increased; not all the way towards painful, but outside of pleasurable and his erection had flagged.

Benny hummed back and his hips stayed still, only letting his hands wander. They played over Dean’s thighs, drawn high over Benny’s waist and moved up, running over his back and trailing his fingernails. He nudged and nibbled at Dean’s jaw and earlobe, letting the younger man relax. After the hunter began to loosen up, Benny’s hand drifted around to pull at Dean’s dick, coming back into play at the attention.

Another breath and Dean shifted his hips. “OK.”

That was all Benny needed to lean up and drag back and forth in small thrusts, lighting up all the nerves that had gone quiet. Lengthening his strokes, Benny moaned when he felt Dean begin to move with him, reaching for the right rhythm. Dean turned his legs and the shift had Benny dragging his cock right over the bundle of nerves inside him, making him push against the man above. Grinning, Benny reached to hold one of Dean’s legs in place as he propped the man’s hip with his other hand. That put him right on target to continually press on the prostrate and soon Dean was mewling like a cat in heat. He reached up to grab at Benny’s shoulders and pulled himself up against the vampire, basically grinding on the other man’s lap, wanting to get closer.

Benny was quick to adjust. Sitting back, he grasped Dean’s hips and edged his legs far enough to hold the hunter’s legs wide and in the right position to keep up the stimulation. Benny kept thrusting even as he lifted and dropped Dean onto his dick, making the hunter praise that vampire strength with moans pressed into his neck. Benny murmured his own praises back, whispering how tight Dean felt and how amazing Dean was into the man’s ear.

Dean started flexing his ass and pulling at Benny’s shoulders as he felt himself nearing the edge. “Getting close, Benny,” he panted.

Benny upped the ante, increasing the pace and gripping Dean’s hips with force that was sure to leave bruises. But that was the least of his worries as Dean pressed as close as he could to feel Benny’s dick hitting his prostrate over and over until he was seeing flashes of light in his eyes. Another thrust and one more had him spilling over and twitching around Benny, who swore and drove up into his spasming insides to let Dean ride it out.

Dean’s come coated their stomachs and Dean pressed into the slick as he grasped at Benny. Leaning in, he breathed into Benny’s mouth, pressing and releasing those lips and mouthing at those bearded cheeks as much as he could while coming through the high. He could feel Benny mouth his name as the other man gave a few more thrusts and started coming.

Several more pumps later and the vampire finally let them collapse back onto the bed, Benny leaning into the hunter below and still pressed tightly into him. They both just breathed together as they let their bodies settle.

Finally, Dean let out a sigh and nudged against the side of Benny’s neck. “Well, that was awesome.” Benny chuckled and Dean could feel the laugh vibrating through him. He was glad that Benny didn’t seem to hesitate to drape himself all over the hunter, and Dean ran his hand up along Benny’s back, hoping they could stay awhile.

“Yes it was,” Benny agreed and pressed his mouth against Dean’s. They tongued each other lazily, just enjoying the contact. The Southern man finally pulled back and Dean wondered if he was gearing to clean them up, when he asked, “Think you’ll want to do this again?”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Jesus, Benny, I’m going to be walking funny all of tomorrow. Gonna need a little break.”

“Just wonderin’ if you want to make this a regular thing, Dean,” Benny clarified, looking serious. Dean felt his exasperation growing.

“Damn it, Benny. If you didn’t notice, that was me grabbing at you and asking for more. You’re damn right I wanna do this again.” He was pleased to see Benny relax at that. “I definitely would like to try out your plan too, but I’m glad we did this.”

“Think we can arrange that.” Benny started to pull back carefully and Dean let him go, feeling himself twitch as Benny’s dick left him. The other man pulled off the condom and put it in the trash before standing up. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Dean stood up right in Benny’s space. “Sure, let’s see if there’s any hot water left in the shower.”

Benny looked at him with dark eyes. “May not be able to keep my hands to myself, cher. You sure about that?”

The hunter reached up to pull Benny’s lips against his in a wet kiss. “I’m counting on it, Benny.”

With a laugh, Benny scooped Dean up and started walking toward the bathroom. Even though it made Dean wince a bit, he didn’t hesitate to wrap his legs around the other man and pepper kisses over Benny’s face.

The vampire nudged the door open and shuffled to set Dean up on the countertop, all while trying to catch the younger man’s wandering mouth, tonguing in deep where he could. Dean gladly responded for a minute, then leaned back and tapped Benny’s leg with his foot. “Shower?” he urged.

Benny followed his mouth to give him another long kiss, even as he stretched his arm out to reach around the shower curtain and turn on the valve. The water started pouring down after a short sputter. Hearing that, Dean smiled into the kiss and pushed Benny back lightly to stand up. “C’mon, Benny. Hop on in and I’ll scrub your back.”

That got a laugh. “Sounds good to me. Let’s go.”

They parted long enough to step in the shower and Dean directed the Southern man under the spray and picked up the soap. Running a hand up that broad back, Dean pressed a kiss to one shoulder and started circling with the soap to build up suds. Then he started digging into the muscles in a firm massage, making Benny moan.

“Dean, that’s…” Benny trailed off as the hunter pressed into knot, working it over until the muscle was loose. “ _Dean_.” The vampire started to turn around, but Dean stepped in close to block him.

“Not done yet, Benny,” Dean murmured in his ear. He slinked down further, hands trailing over hips and nails scratching through the fine hair running down the other man’s legs. On the way back up, he spread his soapy hands over Benny’s ass and massaged there too, making Benny curse and throw a hand forward to brace himself against the wall. “Good?” Dean teased.

“Damn it, Dean,” Benny growled, frustration putting an edge in his voice and Dean chuckled.

The hunter stood up straight again and edged in closer, pressing his refreshed erection against the slick skin and Benny sucked in a breath. He nuzzled against Benny’s neck, mouthing at the skin and collarbone, while he played his hands over the vampire’s tense arms next, dragging them back and forth. Finally, Benny moved to grab Dean’s wrists.

“Quit teasin’, cher,” he requested, voice strained.

Dean hummed a negative. “Turnabout’s fair play, Benny,” he admonished, turning his head to tug at Benny’s earlobe with his teeth. “But I’ve got your back, turn around.” Quick as a switch, the vampire flipped about, almost losing his footing for a moment. Dean chuckled.

“ _Dean_ ,” Benny gasped out, ignoring the slip and leaning in to kiss the hunter hard.

The younger man turned them so that the spray was hitting them both and they were pressed tight against the wall. Then he held the vampire still as he leaned back and looked over the body in front of him. Pressing the soap against Benny’s chest, Dean looked into those blue eyes as he grinned. “Lookin’ good, Benny. Feels like the shower warmed you up.” And it had. Dean soaped him up and ran fingers over that chest, feeling the residual warmth of the water heating up Benny’s body more than usual. He gently scrubbed over Benny’s stomach to remove evidence of their previous acts before finally focusing on their mutual erections. Rubbing the soap between his hands, Dean tossed it aside and grasped them both to line up against each other. Keeping his eyes on Benny’s, he started pumping, watching the other man gasp at the feel.

After letting Dean move him about, Benny brought his own hands back into play to tug Dean in close around the waist with one and join Dean’s bobbing hands with the other. Leaning forward to remove the last couple inches between them, Benny opened his mouth to Dean’s and then it felt like every inch of their bodies was pressing and sliding against each other under the falling water. Dean felt himself getting close and sped up, breathing fast in between kisses, and watching Benny’s face between narrowed lashes. The vampire looked so alive and wanting that it caught Dean’s breath. This was how the man should look all the time.

“Benny,” Dean whispered, flexing his hips and giving a few more hard pumps and he was coming between them. The water washed it all away and they both kept moving as Dean spiraled down. Finally he stilled and Benny loosed his hands to reach up and grasp Dean’s face instead, kissing the hunter deeply.

After letting himself breathe a moment, Dean felt Benny still hard against him. Weighing the options in his head, he drew back and started to shuffle them again. Benny reached to pull Dean back in until he saw the younger man turning to brace himself against the wall, offering his back.

“Still loose,” Dean prompted over his shoulder at the lusty-gazed vampire.

“Thought you were already gonna be walkin’ funny?” Benny questioned, but Dean could see the hungry look on his face.

“Don’t care,” Dean replied and steadied his feet as much as he could. “Wanna feel you in me again. Fill me up.”

Blue eyes flashed. “There you are, all demandin’ again,” Benny murmured approvingly, moving to set his hips square with Dean’s. Gently, Benny ran his hand down to press along the crease of the other man’s ass, nudging until he felt along the rim, still stretched from earlier. Trying out two fingers, Benny was satisfied enough to continue. He quickly found the soap on the floor and worked up a lather to run over his cock, moaning quietly as Dean twitched at the sounds, anticipation running through him even as spent as he was.

Impatient, Dean edged his hips back. “Get in me, Benny. Make me feel you all week.”

“Mon dieu,” the Southern man cursed low and finally lined himself up with Dean and pressed in straight and slow. It was easier than the first time, but Dean still felt the stretch. Benny seemed able to tell, as he kept it easy. He didn’t stop, though, just rocking in and out at a steady pace while Dean loosened up again. When the hunter started pushing back, Benny began to really thrust his hips. Feeling the other man start to pant into the back of his neck, Dean smiled and started to clench his muscles around the dick inside him. “ _Merde_ ,” Benny gasped out and was soon shooting off, come filling up Dean’s ass. He rode it out and settled against Dean’s back, arms wrapped loosely around the younger man’s waist.

After a minute of just breathing, Benny kissed Dean’s throat and slowly pulled out. Muscles twitching, Dean turned and let himself slump against the wall, pulling Benny in for a lazy kiss. The Southern man hummed into Dean’s mouth. “Getting cooler in here, cher.” That got a low laugh. The water was tepid now, so they did a quick rinse and grabbed a couple towels to pat dry.

A bit sore and feeling tired, Dean tugged Benny over to the bed to lay down. The vampire followed without hesitation and chuckled when the hunter dropped onto the mattress with a thump.

“Not like home?” Benny asked.

“Weird to have a ‘home’ now, but I guess not.” Dean shrugged. “It’ll do, though.” He lay down and closed his eyes for a moment, and Benny made himself comfortable next to Dean.

“How do you feel, cher?” Benny asked and Dean exhaled before meeting his eyes.

“Sore, tired, and completely awesome,” he replied, watching Benny’s blue eyes narrow.

“I mean it, Dean.” Benny traced the handprint bruises forming around Dean’s hips. “Did I get too rough?”

“I’m one hundred percent fine, Benny,” Dean reassured. He looked at Benny with a soft smile and turned toward him, reaching out to grasp the other man’s neck, just for contact. “Seriously, this is the best kind of sore there is. And I’ll be _fine_ and we _are_ doing that again. And I’m going to get inside you sometime too and let you feel how great that was.”

Benny let out a long breath and started smiling again. “Good, then.”

Dean leaned his forehead against the vampire’s. “So worried,” he teased.

“Well, wanna make sure you keep liking it so we can keep it up,” Benny teased back.

Dean tugged on his earlobe. “If you screw up, I’ll let you know and tell you how to fix it.”

Benny smirked. “Bossy.”

“You like it.”

“I do at that, cher.” The Southern man kissed him some more. “It’s nice to hear what you want so I can give it to you.”

“You’re gonna make me fucking spoiled, Benny. Jesus. I know you’re a romantic, but I don’t need waiting on hand and foot.” Dean made a face.

Benny gave him another kiss. “I like spoilin’ you.”

“Then how about a little quid pro quo? We take care of each other, everything’s all right.”

“Simple. I like it.”

Dean hummed. “Don’t know why you worried anyway. Maybe I’m new at this, but you’re pretty damn good at taking me apart.” A pause and Dean decided to indulge in some curiosity. “This something you done before?”

“You mean, other men?” Benny clarified and Dean nodded. “There were a couple, one back when I was a reckless teen and another when I became a vampire. Never did constrict myself to one type of pleasure, but everything was—what’re they callin’ it now—on the ‘down low.’ And there were a couple ladies over the years, too.”

Dean pondered that. “I guess I figured that you were straight as an arrow, right up until you decided to play tonsil hockey in that back alley.” Benny chuckled at that and Dean asked, “What?”

“You had no idea at all, did you? Not even back in Purgatory?” The vampire seemed amused.

“No… Why, were you…” Dean paused. “Were you, _flirting_ with me?”

Benny waved a hand. “Less flirting, more…testing the waters. Maybe you started as a ticket out of there, but you were also the prettiest morsel I’d laid eyes on in forever. Can’t blame a man for checking you out.”

“That long…” Dean murmured, wonderingly. “And you never said.”

“Well, you didn’t seem especially receptive. And you had other things on your mind.” There was that spark of jealousy again. Maybe Dean didn’t understand the source of that, but it was kind of a thrill to have someone think he was worth being jealous over.

“Well, now you know I’m receptive.” Dean stretched out and trailed his fingers over Benny’s chest. “And you are the _only_ one on my mind.” He gave Benny a smirk and dragged the man in for a wet lazy kiss.

On release, Benny grinned back at him. “Well, I’m a lucky son of bitch, then.”

“ _I’m_ lucky,” Dean argued, but it was light, as he was feeling more and more tired.

“Hey, now, cher,” Benny murmured. “Why don’t you get some shut eye? We have plenty of time.”

“I know,” Dean muttered. “Wake me in a bit and we’ll have another round.”

Benny’s warm laugh trailed into his dreams. They’d get back to reality tomorrow, but tonight was all for them.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


	3. Conversations in the Bunker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things settle down, but there's still a lot to be said between these wayward souls. Time to figure out if they can all be friends or if only Dean can truly appreciate Benny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, well, I _thought_ I was done but apparently these voices in my head won't shut up. *wrings hands* I suppose that's what happens when I try to get into the habit of writing again. And Benny wanted more input as well. But I think I like where this ended better than I did before, so this should be the final chapter (and maybe I can try writing something new).
> 
> So this chapter is less about following the rest of season eight and more about the guys' interactions with each other. And Dean and Benny wanted to keep humping like rabbits. So...enjoy? ;-)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Benny & Sam  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Benny and Dean walked back into the bunker with no new intel from the priest, which Sam understood from the shake of Dean’s head. There was a brief moment of disappointment, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected so Sam went back to his laptop with little trouble. Dean headed back to drop off his things in the room, but Benny stayed behind. The hunter gave a quick look at him, but Benny gave a shrug and gestured at Sam, to which Dean just rolled his eyes and moved on, leaving the two of them alone in the library.

Sam looked over with a halting expression, unsure as to why Benny would want to speak to him. Benny plunked himself down in a chair across from the hunter with ease and gave a small smile. “Hi.”

“Er, hello?” The tall man shifted in his seat and looked as though he was debating shutting down his laptop and walking away or listening to Benny out of curiosity.

“Wanted to thank you, Sam.”

That was enough to grab Sam’s attention. “What? Why?”

“You gave me time with Dean. I know we have a ways to go before I earn your trust, so I appreciate the leeway where he’s concerned.”

Now Sam was definitely uncomfortable. “I wasn’t… Look, I’m not trying to be a dick about it, but you’re a _vampire_. It’s going to take some getting used to.”

“I know. That’s why I’m grateful to you for not interfering with me and Dean,” Benny explained slowly, fighting to keep the smirk off his face.

Sam scowled at the tone but stayed serious. “Look Benny, you can’t hurt him. Ever. You do and this is over, you know that, right?”

Benny leaned forward. “I won’t ever hurt Dean. If anything goes wrong… It wouldn’t be _me_ , you understand?” The vampire saw Sam’s incomprehensive look and continued, “If somehow the blood runs out and the hunger does take over, I’m counting on your help to wrangle me in. And if my blood lust hurts Dean, you need to stop me in any way possible.” Sam’s eyebrows jumped at that and Benny nodded. “Dean wouldn’t like it, but you have to promise to cut me down if I’m a real danger to him. Can you do that?”

Sam nodded slowly. “You know I can. But Dean… He’d be—”

“He’d be pissed if he heard me making you promise this,” Benny acknowledged. “But it’s important, Sam. I don’t want things to get out of hand and your brother can be very stubborn.”

The younger brother rolled his eyes. “Don’t I know it.” He looked over the vampire contemplatively. “Look, you’re not exactly who I thought you were. Maybe I don’t think you’re quite trustworthy, but you obviously care about Dean and make him happy, so maybe we can start from there.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Benny agreed. He paused a beat, then took a stab at another brick in the wall between them. “I was never trying to steal him away, you know.”

Sam’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“He’s _your_ brother. I wasn’t trying to replace you or anything, either during or after Purgatory. I know how important family is, especially to Dean.”

The chair creaked as Sam leaned back and ran a hand over his face. “He told you about our arguments,” was Sam’s flat reply.

Benny nodded. “I don’t think Dean realized how some of it sounded, but I know you don’t like it when I call him, ‘brother.’” Seeing Sam twitch, he nodded again. “Exactly. But you gotta realize that nobody will ever replace you as Dean’s brother. He cares too deeply and without exception to ever let you go. You come first in his books, always.”

Sam stared at the tabletop between them. “I know.” He didn’t apologize for being the reason Dean cut ties with Benny after Louisiana, but the vampire didn’t expect him to. It also went unsaid that if Dean ever had to save Sam at Benny’s expense again, Sam would win out every time. Not that Benny would ever make him choose.

Not wanting to press too hard, Benny tried to lighten the air with a joke. “Probably won’t be calling him ‘brother’ much in the future anyhow, could get kind of awkward considering what we do together.” The younger Winchester choked on air and Benny chuckled as he stood to go.

“You’re kind of evil, you know that?” Sam called out, but when Benny glanced back the other man was smiling. Benny smirked back, tipped his hat, and walked off.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Dean & Benny  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Benny groaned and fought to stay still, hands gripping the sheet below. Beautiful green eyes flashed up at him in intervals, but were mostly left closed as Dean shifted and sucked over the vampire’s erection at different angles, trying to find the motion that would make Benny the loudest. The hunter’s arms were loosely draped around Benny’s hips as the younger man kneeled next to the bed. The Southern man had been all for the suggestion when Dean asked, but he hadn’t known how thorough the other man would be in his exploration. It was also decidedly unfair that Benny had been stripped bare but somehow the hunter only had his boots off.

“Cher, if you’re gonna keep me on the edge much longer, I may just expire.”

Dean met his gaze once more and the cheeky bastard had the audacity to wink up at him. Benny huffed at that and could see the other man’s cheek muscles twitch while his eyes crinkled in a smile. The vampire was about to issue further complaint when the hunter began to shift back. Dean moved slowly, tugging on Benny’s thighs until he was standing and Dean kneeling before him, loosening his jaw and looking up.

Eyes wide, Benny stared down at his lover until Dean pulled at his hips impatiently. “You sure, chief?” he checked in, getting an eyeroll in response. Ignoring the sass, Benny slowly edged out and gave a shallow thrust. Seeing Dean take it all right, Benny lightly framed Dean’s face with his hands and began a steady, slow pace. Watching closely, he saw Dean adjust to the motion and time his breathing. Once he had it, Dean gave a hum to encourage Benny more, making the man shudder at the feeling.

Benny tried to keep it slow, but he was getting too close to stay steady. Another hum had Benny clutching tighter at Dean’s jaw, groaning when he could feel himself moving beneath those stubbly soft cheeks. Dean adjusted as best as he could, and started digging his fingers into Benny’s ass in the same beat. Another few thrusts and the Southern man bit back a shout as he spilled into his hunter’s mouth. Swimming in pleasure, Benny barely registered pulling out from those delicious lips and falling back against the bed.

Through the fog, Benny heard a wet sound and the clang of Dean’s belt hitting the floor. He looked over to see the other man going at his own hard-on using Benny’s load from his mouth. That gave Benny the motivation needed to haul Dean up on the bed and crouch over the younger man, batting away his busy hand.

“Now, cher, you don’t think you can put me through all that and not get my hands on you at all? You got another thing coming.”

Dean grunted, thrusting against the vampire’s fist. “So close. _Benny_.” His voice was more gravelly than usual and Benny tightened his grip on Dean at the sound of it. That made the younger man moan and he grasped at Benny’s shoulders.

“ _Dean_ ,” Benny murmured, appreciating the view immensely. “That’s it, cher. Let it all go.”

Dean pulled himself up as close against the vampire as he could get, Benny’s name on his lips, before he shook apart. The Southern man kept moving as Dean went through the aftershocks, tenderly pulling at the hunter’s dick and pressing kisses all over his face.

They settled down, letting the world come back into place again. Benny reached over to grab some tissues from the nightstand and swiped at the mess before tucking in next to Dean. He closed his eyes, just listening to the hunter’s breath grow steadier. Benny felt Dean reach over and trace his fingertips along the other man’s face, slowly mapping out his brows and nose, and softly scratching through his beard. The hunter made a quiet hum that had Benny looking over. Dean was observing him closely but didn’t say anything.

“What’s that look?” Benny asked.

His lover smiled and shook his head. “Nothin’,” was all he replied until Benny pressed him. “It’s just…do vampires lower their fangs anytime or is it just when they’re about to drink?” Startled at the question, Benny’s mind stalled until Dean shook his head again. “Doesn’t matter, just a random thought.”

“No, it’s… They can come out anytime. Just, there’s no real point if a vampire isn’t drinking or threatening to drink. I don’t even need them when drinking blood bags.” Dean hummed thoughtfully. “What brought that on?”

The younger man shrugged, a bit bashfully. “I dunno, man. Guess I was just curious—the hunter in me, you know? We don’t get a lot of details beyond how to spot a vamp and any weaknesses and strengths.” He paused, considering. The topic put Benny a bit on edge, but he gave a small, encouraging smile. He never wanted Dean to hesitate to ask him anything, especially after inquiring into Dean’s life so much. Still the other man’s request surprised him. “Can I see?”

“It’s not very pretty, cher,” Benny advised.

“That’s not… You don’t have to,” Dean assured. “I mean, I’ve _seen_ it before, but, y’know, I wasn’t exactly looking.” He paused. “Y’know what, it’s stupid. Don’t worry about it.”

Benny exhaled. “It’s not stupid, cher. This is just me not wanting to show my worst side. It’s a bit off-putting.” He reached out to cup Dean’s jaw tenderly. “Makes sense that you’re curious, just caught me off guard. You really want to see?”

“Only if you want to,” Dean said firmly, making Benny smile.

The vampire took a breath and lay back on the pillow. He slowly opened his mouth and fangs dropped from his gums, skin shifting to make room and lips pulling back in a grimace. Benny was tempted to just shut his eyes until Dean was done looking his fill. But the masochist in him needed to see how Dean would be repulsed at the reminder that Benny was a monster.

He saw Dean lean in to get a closer look and tried to brace himself for disgust, but he was surprised to see the hunter actually reviewing his features with nothing but curiosity. Benny knew that Dean hunted with more than muscle and weapons training, but he kept any academic interests quiet. This, apparently, was a side of Dean that was more studious. A part of him relaxed deep inside. Benny trusted Dean, more than words could say, but deep down he’d suspected that any and all vampire traits were ignored by the hunter so that the illusion of being human could exist. The man certainly wasn’t comfortable seeing Benny drinking blood. But maybe that was something else, because Dean wasn’t shying away now.

Dean ran a careful hand around Benny’s mouth, feeling how everything was reshaped. The vampire stayed perfectly still, not wanting to scare or startle Dean with the slightest movement. The hunter leaned in closer as he lightly dragged a fingertip over one of the fangs jutting out.

“They’re not all hollow,” came a soft murmur, with a certain amount of wonder. “Just a few meant to help with drinking.” Dean hummed and softly brushed over others, carefully avoiding the tips. He looked a little longer, moving his hand back to trace the older man’s bared lips. Then he leaned back to meet Benny’s gaze again.

The vampire only waited a moment to confirm that Dean was done before swiftly retracting his fangs. Benny was unsure of what to say and it must have showed, but Dean smiled and leaned in again to swiftly kiss open Benny’s mouth, now just filled with normal, blunted teeth. It was the lack of hesitation and sweetness in Dean’s kiss that had Benny giving a muffled almost-sob and clenching his eyes shut.

The hunter pulled back, concerned. “You OK, Benny? I’m sorry, I—”

Benny didn’t let him finish, grabbing the hunter’s face in his hands and kissing him for all he was worth. He didn’t think about it often, but he remembered his time with Andrea and telling her about what he was. Humans are a curious species and when she asked Benny hadn’t denied her either, but the sight had made an impact and she’d never asked again. Benny had loved her and never begrudged her distaste for the monster in him, but it was a life spent half in hiding. He’d imagined that pretending it didn’t exist was the only way a love between a human and a vampire could work. But then he’d met his hunter, who knew what he was when they met, who became his friend, who became his lover, and who looked at him without flinching, trusting Benny with everything. This was the hunter that, when hearing how his nest used to hunt, had smiled and called Benny a ‘vampirate.’

Dean let Benny have his fill, kissing back and soothingly running his hands along the other man’s neck and shoulders as he calmed down. Finally the vampire pulled back and let them breathe again. Benny drank in the sight of his hunter, mussed and a little flushed, mouth wet with their kisses. Sharp green eyes watched him back, no doubt a little baffled by the conflicting emotions all over Benny’s face. The other man reassured Benny quietly, “Whatever you need, Benny. I’m here.”

This reminder, Benny knew, was Dean’s way of saying how much he cared without actually saying it. Benny knew that Dean had a hard time speaking about his affection; that right now he _couldn’t_ say it. But it was right on Benny’s tongue to respond to the love that he could see on Dean’s face; he’d always been very expressive with his lovers before. However, he also knew that the younger man wasn’t ready to hear it any more than he could say it. So Benny had his own fallback to tell Dean how he felt.

“Tu es tout ce don’t j’ai besoin,” Benny declared wholeheartedly. Dean was everything Benny would ever need.

The Southern man knew Dean didn’t understand all the words, but that was the point: French was the easiest way to make his sentiment known without saying it outright—a compromise for the wary hunter. And Dean had cottoned on to the how Benny used it, if his growing blush was any indication.

“Not fucking fair, Benny,” Dean muttered, hiding his red face in the vampire’s shoulder. “Too tired for your French sexy-talk now.”

The older man laughed lowly. “You like it.”

“I like it when I can _do_ something about it,” he grumbled.

“Then I’ll tell you again in the morning,” Benny promised, wrapping his arms around the hunter and pressing a kiss to the brunette locks below. “Sleep well, cher.”

Dean muttered unintelligibly some more before letting out a long breath and finally relaxing. Benny watched fondly as the other man fell asleep in his arms and felt more alive than he’d been in decades.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Benny & Cas  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Castiel stormed into the kitchen and threw out the accusation.

“You have been fornicating with Dean.”

Benny halted with the dishes and slowly turned to confront the angel. “That supposed to be a question?”

Castiel ignored his words and ordered, “You will stop.”

Brows furrowed, Benny shook his head. “If _Dean_ wants to stop, I’ll stop. But I don’t see that it’s any business of yours.”

“I won’t allow you to hurt him.” The angel moved into a threatening stance.

“Well I won’t let myself hurt him either,” Benny gritted out. “Are we done here?”

Castiel frowned. “You are a danger up here. You should be returned to Purgatory.”

“Are you going to kill me, Castiel? Because I can tell you right now that you’ll have an angry hunter on your hands if you do.” The warning only seemed to make the angel more heated.

“Dean will be better off without you,” Castiel began and Benny saw red.

“I’m not the one who _left him_ in a land full of monsters,” Benny snarled and felt vindicated on seeing the angel flinch.

“That was to protect him from the Leviathans…” he tried to recover his ground.

“ _And_ when you chose Purgatory over him? _And_ when you left with the angel tablet?” Benny didn’t let up. “It sounds to me like Dean would be better off without _you_ leaving him all the time.”

The angel glared at him and Benny could feel an angry power growing around them. “I don’t have to explain myself to you, _vampire_.” The disdain dripped from his words.

“You can’t even explain it to yourself, can you, _angel?_ ” Benny spat out. “Why are you really so pissed, huh? Mad that you missed your chance with him?”

Castiel looked taken aback, then confused, then angry again, all in the space of a moment. But Benny thought he saw truth reflected there and felt a surge of jealousy. The trenchcoat-wearing bastard looked ready to continue when Sam and Kevin burst into the kitchen.

“Cas? What going on—whoa.” Sam stopped short on seeing the two angry supernatural beings facing off and took a step back. Kevin’s eyes were wide as he hung in the doorway. “Um, what’s up, guys?” Sam asked cautiously.

The angel’s eyes turned on Sam. “Did you know Dean has been having relations with the vampire?” he demanded.

“Uh…”

“What?” Kevin gaped, turning to stare at Benny. “Really?”

“Did you know?” Castiel repeated.

Feet shuffling, Sam replied, “Well, yeah.”

Castiel stared in surprise. “And you…are OK with this?”

“Not entirely.” When Benny looked at the taller Winchester, Sam shrugged. “Hey, just being honest, Benny. But Cas, it’s Dean’s choice.” The angel just stared at him some more while Sam’s brain kicked into gear. “Wait, how’d you find out? Dean’s tracking down that psychic in Virginia.” It went without saying that Benny wouldn’t have brought it up.

“I visited his dreams to update him, and Dean was dreaming of _him_ ,” the angel accused. The vampire actually smiled at that, pleased that his lover was thinking of him. “When I asked, Dean admitted that it was real.”

Sam sighed and spread his hands. “Look, Cas, I get that you’re worried. I was worried, too. But Dean’s happy and things have been good so far, so let’s just see how it goes?”

“Dean’s…happy, with this creature?”

“Seems to be,” Sam confirmed. They shifted into an awkward silence as the blue-eyed angel took in the new information.

Castiel glanced at the vampire, then asked Sam, “How long has this been going on?”

Before the hunter could reply, Benny broke in, eyes narrowed. “Didn’t Dean tell you?”

His flat gaze turned to Benny. “We didn’t discuss it.”

“What _did_ you discuss?” Benny asked suspiciously. When the angel remained silent, he began to have an inkling of what happened. “You didn’t talk to him at all, did you? You just interrogated him and came back here to kill me, is that right?” The angel wasn’t denying it and Sam was beginning to look disgruntled, but now Benny started to listen closely and could hear his cell phone ringing in his room. Swearing loudly enough to startle the humans, Benny pushed past them and ran. Hearing the phone ring out and start again, Benny cursed some more before bursting in and grabbing the cell. “Dean?”

“ _Benny!_ ” The relief poured from Dean’s voice and the vampire threw all sorts of mental vitriol at the idiot angel who caused the worry in the first place. “Benny, you OK? Cas is pissed and I think you need to get out of there—”

“It’s all right, cher. I’m fine. Your brother talked him down,” Benny reassured him.

The hunter let out a deep breath. “You sure? I’ve seen Cas mad before, but this was something else.”

“Really, it’s OK, Dean. He came in all heated but listened to Sam when he made a case for us. I don’t think he’s gonna kill me.”

“I can be back there in eight hours,” Dean suggested.

Benny smiled. “I’d love to see you, cher, but it’s really fine. You’re almost there, you go on ahead and I’ll see you in a few days.”

The line was quiet now and Benny realized that he’d been hearing Dean packing up his gear to return. The vampire warmed at the thought but the other man still sounded disturbed. “Man, sometimes I really hate dream-walking. Angels shouldn’t be allowed to snoop so much in people’s heads.”

Benny silently agreed, but wanted to get his hunter’s thoughts somewhere better. “Maybe not angels, but _I_ might’ve liked a peek at this dream of yours.”

That garnered a laugh and the vampire relaxed on hearing Dean’s good humor partly restored. “How about when I get back, I’ll tell you all about it?”

“Sounds good to me, cher,” Benny purred.

Dean’s voice became serious again. “Look, Benny. I’m glad you’re OK, but I think…I’d feel a little easier if you warded your room until I get back. You remember the sigils I showed you?”

“I remember.”

“Good. Will you set it up?”

Benny’s heart sank at hearing the uncertainty in his voice. Whatever new trust Dean had had in Castiel was fractured and it was hurting the hunter. “I’ll ward the room,” he agreed, softly. “It’ll be OK, Dean.”

Dean’s sigh sounded over the line. “I hope so. I’m going to head out and get this trip over with. Can’t sleep now, anyway. Be careful, Benny.”

“You too, cher,” Benny murmured back and disconnected. He wanted to go and yell at the angel, maybe give him a good punch to lay him flat. But it wouldn’t change anything and Benny was woefully aware that the celestial being outmatched him by far. So he sucked it up and found a piece of chalk to mark up the doorway. He distracted himself by imagining what Dean could have been dreaming of and by the time the room was sealed against angels, he was smiling again.

When Dean returned to the bunker at the end of the week, Benny made sure to be out front waiting for him. The hunter relaxed on seeing the other man, despite the fact that they’d talked on the phone every night, and gave him a quick hug before they headed inside.

The angel was in the front room, also apparently waiting for Dean’s return. Castiel’s brow was furrowed but he offered no comment and Dean gave Benny a nudge. “Give us a minute?” he requested. The Southern man nodded slowly and stalked past Castiel, giving the angel a dark look. As soon as he was well out of sight in the hallway and the angel distracted by Dean beginning to talk, Benny stopped and leaned against the wall to listen.

“Tell me you weren’t really going to kill him, Cas.” Dean’s voice was hard, but Benny could hear the plea behind it. “You know we brought him here to stay, that he’s my friend. Tell me you won’t kill him.”

“He’s a vampire,” was Castiel’s gruff reply. “He may have helped you, but that hasn’t changed.”

Dean started off on an angry torrent and it was at this point that Sam started walking up the hall towards Benny. Hearing raised voices, Sam looked quizzically at the vampire.

“Dean’s back,” Benny explained quietly. “He’s talking to Castiel.”

“‘Talking?’” Sam clarified and Benny just shrugged. The taller man glanced down the hall. “And you’re eavesdropping?”

“Wouldn’t you?” Benny inquired mildly.

Sam’s expression acknowledged that fair point, so he just asked, “So what’s going on?”

“Right now, Dean’s just pissed that Castiel really had planned to kill me without provocation,” Benny summarized, then held up a hand for quiet as he tuned back in.

“…If he tries to kill you, Dean? What do you expect me to do then?” Castiel demanded.

There was a pause and Benny strained to hear Dean’s reply. “I’ve been threatened by a lot of supernatural creatures in my time, Cas. And a lot of humans, too. I know what it’s like to fear for my life, intimately.” Another pause and the hunter’s voice came back stronger. “If Benny had been there, back in the crypt when it was _you_ trying to kill me, what should _he_ have done?”

Benny’s eyes went wide, which made Sam stiffen but the vampire ignored it. Apparently Dean had left out a few details from his story about when Castiel had left with the angel tablet. He’d had no idea that the angel had been close to killing his hunter.

“What’s up?” Sam hissed.

“Did Cas really try to kill Dean before leaving with the tablet?” Benny asked to verify, seeing it confirmed when Sam sighed.

“He was being controlled—” Sam started, but stopped when Benny raised a hand.

“Dean, I couldn’t—” came the gravelly response.

“It’s the same thing,” Dean interrupted. “Cas, it’s the _same_. Benny’s my friend. He’s _family_. You can’t just kill him because you’re worried or if it seems unsafe to you. Promise me you won’t.”

“Dean…”

“You have to promise, Cas. Because even if you do kill him, I’m telling you now that I’d go right after him and bring him back.”

Castiel’s voice was dismayed. “You’d return there for him?”

“Yes.” Spoken without hesitation and Benny could practically feel the tension in the long pause that followed.

Castiel finally conceded. “Then I won’t kill him.”

Dean’s relief was palpable. “Thanks, Cas. I’ve had just about enough of this…”

Sam was tapping his foot impatiently and Benny turned his attention back to the other hunter. “Castiel has promised not to kill me,” he concluded and Sam rolled his eyes.

“Obviously. Dean’s too stubborn to lose this argument.”

Benny focused on Sam for a moment. He wanted to know something but wasn’t sure how to ask it, so he went for blunt. “Is Castiel in love with Dean?”

The tall man startled, eyes widening in surprise before thinking it over. “There were times I thought he might be. But, he’s an _angel_. Not really up to par with human emotions, you know? So I was never sure.” Benny nodded at that and Sam looked him over curiously. “Did you think—?”

“Hey, there,” Dean’s voice sounded from the doorway, halfway between annoyed and amused. “What’re you guys up to?”

“Dinner plans. You feel like burgers?” Benny replied, moving forward and grabbing Dean’s bag from his shoulder.

The hunter rolled his eyes. “Right. Whatever. Let’s go take those sigils down. Cas is on board now.”

Benny gave him a genuine smile. “Glad to hear it, chief.” They turned down the hall, Sam giving them a contemplative look as they passed. He wasn’t trying to provoke the younger brother anymore, but Benny couldn’t help saying within the man’s hearing, “So what _was_ that dream Cas was spying on?”

Sputtering and laughter echoed through the hall to welcome Dean home.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Benny & Kevin  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Benny was packing away some groceries when Kevin wandered in, looking hesitant. The vampire gave him a brief nod and continued in his task until he realized the prophet had sat down to watch him. “Somethin’ I can help you with, kid?”

“No,” was the immediate response, but the young man looked conflicted.

“Somethin’ on your mind, then?” Benny pressed.

“Well,” Kevin hesitated. “Guess I wanted to know…why you’re helping Dean? I mean, he hunts your kind, so…”

Benny shrugged. “No two vamps are alike, you know. Same as people, we all got choices to make and I chose Dean. Don’t have any sympathy for the other vamps he and Sam hunt down, either, ’cause they’re living a different life.”

The prophet looked doubtful. “But what if you get hungry?”

“I keep stock in my room and blood bags are all I need, not a kill.” The vampire met Kevin’s eyes. “That ease your mind some?”

“Hey, I wasn’t _scared_ , I was just curious,” Kevin blustered.

“It’s OK, kid. I make you nervous, which is understandable. And I figured that’s why we haven’t crossed paths much. But you don’t have anything to worry about from me.”

“I _wasn’t_ —” Benny stopped him with a look and the young man slumped. “How’d you know?”

Benny tapped his ear. “Us vampires have pretty good hearing. I can tell when your heart’s pumping faster than normal.”

Kevin nodded slowly. “That’s why Dean starts talking to you before you enter a room sometimes and how you could hear your phone ring from the other side of the bunker.”

“That’s right.”

The kid made a face. “How _do_ you and Dean work? Even if you don’t care that he’s a hunter, isn’t it tempting to just…” Kevin mimed a large bite.

It wasn’t funny, but his disgusted expression made Benny laugh. “Temptation’s always a thing for a vampire. But I have my priorities in order. And there are plenty of other distractions that Dean has to offer aside from blood.” The vampire waggled his eyebrows and the prophet made another face that he chuckled at.

“You two are gross,” Kevin informed him, which only made him laugh harder.

“Don’t worry, kid. You’ll find someone to be gross with someday, too.”

“I’m not a _kid_ ,” he protested.

Benny smirked. “Sure you’re not.”

The prophet scowled and stood up to leave. “Good talk,” Kevin quipped.

“Hey,” Benny called softly before he could walk out. “It _is_ good talkin’ to you, Kevin.” The young man smiled at that and nodded before going away. Benny whistled cheerfully as he turned back to the groceries at hand.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Dean & Benny  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They were settling in for the night and Dean trailed his fingers across Benny’s collarbone, getting comfortable but not tired yet. “You’re not bored here, are you?” he asked.

“What with every mess you all get into? Not likely,” Benny scoffed. “How do you figure that?”

The hunter shrugged. “We’re on the road a bunch. Even with a home base now we don’t always swing by, and more often than not it’s just me and Sammy out there. Just didn’t know if you felt cooped up or whatever.”

Benny caught Dean’s hand and began to play with it as he answered. “I’ve travelled a lot in my day, by sea and land. It has its pleasures, but after the past year… Honestly, I’m enjoying the downtime. And helping you hunters out with the records here is more time-consuming than I thought it would be.”

Dean chuckled. “Bobby always bitched when we asked for research help, too. He was great at it, though. You’ve helped us out a lot on that end.”

“Glad I can help keep you alive, mon chasseur.” The Southern man pressed a kiss to Dean’s palm before holding it against his chest. Dean hummed thoughtfully, tapping his fingers against cool skin.

“You know, Benny,” the hunter began slowly. “One of these days, a hunt is going to take me down. This business gets to everyone.”

Benny twisted to meet Dean’s eyes. “You’re not thinking of doing something stupid, are you Dean? ’Cause if you are, that’s one hunt that I’m coming along for.”

The younger man shook his head. “No, no. Nothing like that. It’s just that…I’ve died or nearly died so many times, one of them will stick eventually. But I want to know that you’re not going to try to look for me or do anything stupid, all right?”

“I don’t think so, cher.”

Dean stared. “What?”

Benny reached out and cupped the other man’s cheek. “If you’re leaving this earthly plane again, I’m going with you. Or pulling you back like you did for me.”

“Benny, no,” the younger man argued. “You can’t do that, you can have a life up here—”

“The only life I want here is with you,” Benny stated firmly. Dean tried to withdraw, but the vampire held firm, not letting the hunter slip away. “I’m serious, Dean. You brought me back here, and I’ll be with you when you go. I’ve had more than enough time up here.”

Dean shook his head, squirming beneath Benny’s hands. “No, Benny. If I know that you’re trying to follow me to Hell… It’s too much. I can’t take that.”

The older man’s eyebrows shot up. “What makes you think you’re headed down there?”

He snorted. “You kidding? After all the trouble I’ve caused, Heaven won’t be taking me in. Those sons of bitches in charge wouldn’t allow it. Hell’s the only human alternative and I can’t live forever. You do the math.”

Benny pondered. He had no idea how true that was but couldn’t fault Dean’s logic, as far as he knew. “You don’t think Hot Wings could—?”

“Cas is on their shit list too.” Dean shrugged. “I’m hoping he can smuggle Sam in, at least.”

Benny hummed at that, loosening his grip to stroke Dean’s neck soothingly. He’d argue that Dean deserved that heavenly ticket more than Sam, but that just wasn’t how his hunter worked. “Never thought much of alternatives; vampires are generally for Purgatory only,” he mused.

“I’d go with you there, if I could. It wasn’t so bad,” Dean said, ruefully. “Not sure if I could get a reaper to do that, though. Not after the last one died.”

Benny arched a brow. “It _is_ Hell-adjacent, though. If it came to the worst, I could try to pull you through. Can’t say that’d be ideal, but it’s better than the alternative.” He began to relax a little, thinking it through. “There’s still time, though. Maybe Heaven has a back door, too. Who knows, there’s thousands of records here, maybe there are other options out there that we can look for.” Dean burst out with a sharp laugh. “What?”

“You.” The green-eyed man leaned in for a sweet kiss that the Southern man gladly returned. When Dean pulled back, he chuckled. “You sound like you’re talking about our retirement plans. But for a really messed-up retirement.”

Benny laughed back. “When I was human, retirement wasn’t really a thing, and I didn’t think of it as a vamp, either. Guess this planning thing is your influence, then.” He looked over his lover’s smiling face and just felt glad to have this man with him now and maybe even for all eternity, depending how their afterlife worked out.

Dean looked back and gave Benny another slow, sweet kiss. “You make it sound so possible,” he murmured. “What would I do without you?”

“Wherever you wanna go, cher. Just stay alive for now and we’ll figure out how to make it happen,” Benny promised. After a beat, he asked, “If you had the option, would you go to Heaven?”

The hunter gave it some sober thought. “After everything, I don’t actually want to be close to any of those uptight angels if I don’t have to. But…Bobby’s up there. And maybe even my mom and dad, too. As well as a lot of other dead friends.” He paused. “Sam and I were up there once before, did I tell you?” Eyes wide, Benny shook his head. “Well, things weren’t all that great. One of the angels, Zachariah—total douchebag—tried to manipulate us by using Mom’s memory. It was Heaven’s version of ‘persuasion.’ It was sick. If the angels were to do anything like that again, forever…well, I couldn’t do it.”

“I hope that angel got what was coming to him?” Benny inquired with a frown.

That got Dean to smirk. “Ganked the son of a bitch myself. That felt _damn_ good.”

Benny grinned then and gave Dean a kiss. “That’s my hunter.”

A soft laugh and the younger man relaxed, leaning into Benny’s shoulder and settling down. After a few moments, not looking up, Dean said, “You didn’t ask if I wanted to be turned.”

The vampire stayed still but let out a long breath. “Couldn’t do that to you, cher. It’s not a life.”

“I’d be tempted, if I thought I could do the blood bag diet like you and not hurt anyone,” Dean admitted. “But I’ve had a taste of that hunger before and I nearly killed someone I loved. I’m not willing to risk it.”

“It took time to get where I was on blood bags only,” Benny said softly. “I was a monster for a long time. Those sins will never wash away.”

“We both have blood on our hands. I thought that just meant I’d come to a bloody end and set things full circle,” the younger man murmured. “And now you’re here and suddenly we’re talking retirement plans and I’m trying harder to come home after every hunt.” He looked back up at Benny and opened his mouth to say more, but promptly shut it again. The look in those green eyes spoke volumes though.

Unable to resist that unspoken affection, Benny pulled Dean up for a thorough reciprocation. There were no more words spoken aloud that night.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Charlie & Benny  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Benny was taking a morning snooze when his cell began to ring and he smiled when he checked the caller ID. “Hey there, Miss Bradbury.”

“Hey, Benny!” Charlie’s bright voice chirped. “How’s it going?”

“All right, how about yourself?”

“Fine. How far along are you with the books?” she asked eagerly.

Benny chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Just finished reading _Bugs_.”

“Eugh! That one always gave me the creeps. I mean, can you imagine?” Benny could practically hear her shudder.

“Not a fan of the creepy crawlies, then?” the vampire teased.

“Eugh!” she repeated and Benny laughed.

“It’s been an interesting ride so far,” he commented. “It’s pretty strange, though, knowing what Dean and Sam are like now.”

“Yeah, it is. They’ve grown up a lot,” Charlie agreed. There was a long pause that had Benny prompting her to continue, which she did hesitantly. “Benny…the next book, _Home_? Well, it…it made me cry, to be honest. But it’s not an easy story, for Dean especially.”

Benny frowned. “How so?”

“No spoilers, we talked about this,” she admonished softly. “But it has to do with their dad, and you know that’s a tough area for them as it is.”

“I could tell before, but now I know more and I’d say the Winchesters have been dealt a lot of crap,” Benny concurred. He smiled fondly at a picture of Dean with Bobby and Sam on the side table, pretty damn proud to know how the hunter turned out against the odds.

“Just wait until you get to the newer books,” Charlie said. “Seriously, though. Maybe after you read _Home_ , you can give Dean a big hug? I know I totally wanted to after finishing that one. Hell, tell him the hug’s from me, too.”

“Will do, kiddo,” Benny agreed. “Actually, Dean’s out on a hunt now, maybe I’ll get a start on it. You’ve got me all curious.”

“Hey, I’ll never stand in the way of someone discovering a new fandom!” she exclaimed, cheering up. “Talk to you later, Benny!”

“So long, Charlie.” Benny got up and walked over to the desk and picked up the next book. Dean had grumbled about seeing the _Supernatural_ books stacking up in the room, but he hadn’t asked Benny to move them so they stayed. The hunter made a lot of concessions to make the vampire feel at home here. It warmed Benny’s undead heart, as did Dean’s further grumbling about getting fat from all of the food Benny prepared for them.

He picked up the next book, frowning after reading the summary on the back. It seemed like Charlie had probably been right to warn him. Benny sat back down and began to read.

Hours later, after Dean returned, Benny delivered that hug and many sweet kisses to go with it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Sam & Benny  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sam entered the bunker and looked over to see Benny sitting in the library, reading. He strolled over to the table to set his gear down and clean up. Reminding himself not to ignore Benny or otherwise be a jerk to his brother’s boyfriend, Sam said a friendly ‘hello.’

The vampire looked up with a brief smile and nod to the hunter. It looked like he was about to return to reading when he froze, immediately catching Sam’s attention. Head tilted as though listening to something, Sam saw a strange expression growing on Benny’s face. It looked…hungry.

Sam’s stomach dropped as Benny quickly got up and began heading off down the hall. He immediately grabbed a blade and followed, wondering if this was going to be the day he had to kill the vampire. The taller Winchester felt vaguely guilty, knowing how much it would hurt Dean, but he wouldn’t allow his brother to be vamp food.

Surprisingly, the vampire made no move to outpace him; he appeared to be either ignoring Sam or listening to something else, though Benny must have noticed the hunter following. They approached the showers and Sam could hear the water running. Briefly, he wondered if Dean had cut himself shaving or something but then Benny strolled into the room and came to a halt just inside the doorway. Worried, Sam was about to push on when Benny raised his hand, requesting that he wait. Confused, the hunter did stop, but only because Benny didn’t appear to be attacking and he remained in Sam’s sight. Maybe he was fighting his instincts?

Sam then heard his brother’s voice, but the shower and the echoing locker room-style facility meant he couldn’t quite catch the words. But he did see the hungry expression growing on Benny’s face. He was preparing his blade to swing when Benny spoke up, loud and clear.

“You certainly look scrumptious, cher. But I think you’ll want to know that your brother’s back early from Michigan.”

There was a pause, then Sam distinctly heard Dean. “God-fucking-damn it. Where—?” At this point, the vampire jerked a thumb in Sam’s direction, who was feeling a bit confused. “Shit. Sammy?”

“Yeah?” he called back, hesitantly.

“I will go _three months_ without giving you crap about your fucking womanly hair if you leave right now and don’t come back for three—”

“Four,” Benny interjected.

“ _Four_ more hours,” Dean finished. “Deal?”

Sam’s face started burning as he realized exactly what was going on. “Oh my _god. Fine._ I’m out. Just text when it’s safe to come back.” He about-faced and started back up the hall, practically jogging to get out of there. “Such a fucking slut, Dean,” he muttered. He heard Benny’s roaring laugh and flushed further, remembering the vampire’s hearing. Throwing his pack back together, Sam grabbed the keys and hauled his ass out of there.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Benny & Sam & Cas  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sam and Cas were discussing something when Dean and Benny were passing through on their way out to the garage. All seemed fine until Sam called out, “Wait. Dean, you mind if we borrow Benny for a minute?”

Dean’s eyebrows jumped up and Benny looked curiously at them. He still hadn’t figured out all their expressions so it was hard to say what they wanted. Dean looked over in question at Benny, who shrugged back.

“We got a minute, what’s up fellas?”

Sam frowned and glanced at Cas. “Um, just Benny.”

That got Dean’s hackles up. “Why? You can say whatever in front of me.”

The taller Winchester rolled his eyes. “No need to get your panties in a bunch, Dean. We just have a couple vampire-related questions for him.”

Dean remained skeptical. “ _What_ questions? What—?”

The vampire laid a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “If they’re curious, they’re curious. Let’s give ’em a minute, yeah?” Benny had the impression that there was more to this that would require privacy to speak freely on their part. “Wanna give your baby a tune up before we go? I’ll talk to them.”

The hunter gave him an assessing look that he responded to with a reassuring smile. Grumbling, Dean stalked off and Benny turned to the other two, anticipating a shovel talk of sorts.

Sam shuffled his feet a moment, looking over at a disgruntled Cas, the angel’s default reaction at being around the vampire. “Look, I was thinking you guys might be a little easier around each other if we cleared something up. Benny, do vampires actually mate for life?”

Now _that_ caught him by surprise. “Yes and no,” Benny replied. “It’s not so clear-cut as one true mate forever. Plenty of vampires sleep around, for need or pleasure. But when a vampire does find someone just right for them and they get the same response in return, there’s a connection formed. I’ve heard stories of incredible things done for a mate. The instinct for protecting and loyalty to a mate is definitely there.”

The two absorbed that for a moment before Sam tentatively asked, “Is that what you have with Dean?”

“Yes,” he replied without hesitation.

The hunter looked reassured, but the angel was still unconvinced. “You’ve never had another ‘mate’?”

Benny inwardly sighed but determined that it wouldn’t help to lie. “Actually, I did have one other: Andrea.”

Now the angel was looking justified in his suspicion of the vampire and the hunter was puzzled. “What? How could that be, unless the mate for life thing isn’t true?” Sam asked.

Benny ran a weary hand over his face. “I don’t know for certain. I imagine that it had something to do with dying and going to Purgatory. Not exactly anything that’s ever happened to a vampire before.”

Sam looked uncomfortable at that, but forged ahead. “Are you sure…? I mean, not to get too personal, but how do you know for sure that Dean is your mate if you’ve had one before?”

Benny let out a breath. This whole conversation was invasive and irritating, but Sam was right in that this could help clear the air for them. “Can’t say that it’s a science, but I’d do anything for them. It’s deeper than anything I ever felt as a human. And I knew that Andrea was no longer my mate after coming back from Purgatory the first time around.”

“How so?”

“You remember Prentiss Island?” Benny paused for Sam’s nod. “When Dean helped me kill my former nest, I found that they had turned Andrea after killing me.”

That got Sam’s eyebrow’s raised. “This Andrea was human before?”

“Yes, she was the reason I left the nest in the first place. She gave me something to be other than a killer.” Benny shoved down the memory of those early days. It wasn’t anything he wanted to share in depth with the hunter and the angel. “Instead of killing her when they found us, they beheaded me and turned her. But when I saw her again I knew she was different. I still loved the memory of her, but it wasn’t _her_. Suddenly there were limits to what I would do for this woman, when before I would never had denied her anything. That was the start.” Benny took another breath. “But I knew for sure when Dean decapitated her.”

Now they both looked surprised, even shocked. No doubt they had thought Dean would never strike at Benny’s former lover, considering how the older Winchester had been firmly in the vampire’s corner all this time.

“What—?”

“I had just refused her,” Benny explained. “She was about to attack me when Dean came up, stabbed her, and cut off her head. All I could feel was regret for the woman she had been; no anger or ill will towards Dean, even though I would have slaughtered him if she had still been my mate.”

“Whoa,” Sam murmured. “I didn’t know, man.” It was as close to an apology that Benny’d had from the hunter and he nodded in recognition.

Castiel was subdued when he asked, “Can you explain why you think that Dean is your mate now?”

Benny gave a grim smile. “Well, at first I wasn’t sure about that. I thought that my restraint that night was about respecting Andrea’s memory most. But now I think that I would’ve attacked if anyone else was holding that blade, just to honor her memory, but not Dean. What _actually_ hurt was walking away that night, not knowing when I’d be seeing him again. It was the opposite of what I’d expected; at the very least, I should’ve resented him for her second death. But when I hit the next port, I texted him. Then again the port after that, and the town after that. Then I was calling when I needed to hear his voice. It was worse when I couldn’t contact him. That’s when I suspected what he was to me. When he called to ask for help, I knew. He didn’t have to convince me—even after all that time not speaking—I went straight to him. He asked to behead me and I said yes. I planned not to come back, thinking that Dean wasn’t feeling any of this connection. Then Dean asked me to return and it changed my mind.”

Benny shook his head, slowly. “There’s no doubt in me what that means. Dean’s my mate, just as Andrea used to be. Don’t care how or why, but that’s the way it is.”

Both of them considered that for a bit. Benny thought that Sam was beginning to get it, but couldn’t guess at Castiel’s thoughts. Sam looked over at the angel.

“What do you think, Cas?” the tall man asked outright.

Castiel looked over Benny, then tilted his head. “He appears to be telling the truth,” he admitted grudgingly.

Sam’s shoulders relaxed. “That’s a start, I guess.” He looked back at Benny. “We’re just trying to look out for him, you know.”

The Southern man nodded. “I know.” No matter how many times they tested him, he knew where they were coming from.

Castiel stepped forward to look Benny in the eye. “I promised Dean that I wouldn’t send you back to Purgatory. I’ll keep that promise so long as Dean remains unharmed.”

“Fair enough, Cas. Just to make clear: I’d rather go back to Purgatory than hurt Dean.”

The angel nodded and they finally had an understanding that they could live with. Sam looked pleased with himself acting as mediator, which was pretty amusing considering how he’d conspired to hunt and kill Benny not so long ago. Benny wouldn’t consider them friends, but at least they were all allies at this point. And he probably never would be friends with Castiel in particular, suspecting that the angel harbored more-than-friendly feelings for his boyfriend. He could tolerate him, though, since Dean considered Cas family.

Sam smiled. “Better get back to Dean before he storms in and demands an explanation.”

Benny gave a small smile back and shrugged. It would be a reasonable reaction, considering how shady Sam and Castiel could act sometimes. But they’d all been through a lot so it made sense in a way. “We’ll be back later.”

He went off to find his hunter, relaxing as he left the other two behind.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Dean & Food & Benny  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They’d been gone for weeks when Benny finally got the call from Dean that they were headed back to the bunker for a break. Kevin and Castiel were poring over some ancient text while Benny was working through an old hunter’s journal and the brothers were about two hours away. Putting down the book for now, Benny made his way to the kitchen, whistling a cheery tune as he started gathering what he needed.

When he heard the front door opening and the low baritone of his hunter, Benny grinned and walked out with a large plate. The vampire’s entrance immediately caught Dean’s attention but his mouth actually dropped open on seeing what the man was carrying.

“ _Beignets?_ ” It was barely a question and Benny had hardly set down the heaping plate before Dean grabbed one and took a generous bite. The moan that echoed through the room made the other two humans squirm and the angel actually looked slightly uncomfortable as well.

Benny’s eyes darkened and he adjusted his stance. “Taste good, cher?” he asked rhetorically, as Dean polished off the first one and grabbed another, the pleased noises never ceasing.

“ _God,_ Dean. Get a room.” Sam laughed. He shook his head when Dean didn’t stop, the older brother appearing to ignore him.

“Seriously?” Kevin asked Sam, gesturing at the occupied hunter, to which the taller Winchester only shrugged. Another moan, lower than before, had the young man complaining to Dean, “ _Really,_ dude?”

It was Benny moving closer that actually caught Dean’s attention again. The hunter gave him a happy, carefree grin and pressed a sugary sweet kiss to his lips. Benny inwardly crowed at the open affection that was so rare from the younger man. And a not-so-small part of him was viciously glad that it happened in front of the angel as well, even though Castiel showed no outward reaction.

When the kiss ended, Benny told him, “You’re welcome, cher.”

Dean stepped back and looked over the Southern man before turning and putting several beignets on the table. “No emergencies while we were gone?” Dean asked Kevin and Cas while they all looked puzzled at him.

“No,” the angel replied.

“Good. Those are for you guys.” Dean finished unloading some treats, picked up the plate housing several more, and reached out to grab Benny’s arm, the vampire automatically turning to move with him.

“Dean, what—?” Sam started.

“I’m ‘getting a room,’” Dean answered, already dragging Benny toward the living quarters. The vampire heard the humans sputter and laughed. His chuckling died out when they got to their room, Dean’s grip moving to tug Benny by his belt instead of his arm. Licking his lips, Dean’s voice was husky as he said, “Let me thank you properly.”

Later, covered in powdery residue and the sheets a mess, Benny made a mental note to only make these when they had downtime to appreciate it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Dean & Benny  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dean’s phone buzzed as he and Benny were eating dinner in the kitchen. The hunter looked it over, then gave a hum and texted a reply.

Benny looked over. “Anything interesting?”

“Sam and Kevin are laying over in St. Louis for the night. Guess Kevin was bitching about getting some sleep in an actual bed or something.”

“Imagine that,” Benny commented wryly.

Dean rolled his eyes back at him, but seemed distracted the rest of the meal. When Benny made to clear the table, the other man stopped him. “I’ll get that. There’s, ah… I got something, if you want. It’s in the side table if…yeah.”

The Southern man sidled up behind Dean, wrapping his arms around the younger man’s waist and leaning in. “What’d you get, cher?” he asked, nuzzling the hunter’s neck, which was rather warm with blushing.

Dean gave him a nudge. “You can go find out. If you like it, I’m putting my hands all over you tonight.”

Benny squeezed his hands over Dean’s hips. “Promises, promises,” he murmured into Dean’s ear. “Finish up quick, cher. I have a feelin’ I’m gonna like this.” He pulled away with a chuckle as Dean tried to swat him playfully.

Benny headed down toward their room, curious to see what Dean could have got for them. Ideas were running through his head by the time he looked in the side table. Apart from the usual condoms and lube that they’d been investing in, there was a new bottle with what seemed like a specialty label. From that, Benny gathered that it was a massage oil, but the surprise came when he opened it up.

It smelled like a warm summer night in the South, wafts of magnolia and maybe honeysuckle, filling him with memories of Louisiana. A fond smile spread on his face. One could think the hunter had just picked out an oil randomly, but the detail suggested otherwise. Benny tapped a bit on his wrist to try it out and was surprised to feel it tingle on his skin.

“It’s supposed to get warmer when you spread it,” Dean commented.

Grinning, Benny turned to the hunter hovering in the doorway uncertainly. “I like it, where’d you find it?”

Relaxing a bit, Dean smiled. “Special order, some online company makes them.” He walked in and laid a hand on Benny’s wrist, spreading the oil and activating the heat. “You want to try it out?”

The Southern man leaned over for a long kiss. “Would love to, cher.” Dean wasted no time unbuttoning the vampire’s shirt and stripping off the other man’s pants. His fingertips trailed over the exposed skin but Benny stopped him before Dean could grab the bottle. “Not going to be the only one getting naked, chief. Why don’t you give me something nice to look at?”

He rolled his pretty green eyes, but pulled off his shirt as Benny lay out on the bed to watch. It was always a pleasure for the vampire to see those muscles flexing and twisting, and his cock was beginning to swell already.

Once bare, Dean snagged the bottle and climbed on the bed to straddle Benny. Pouring out a handful of the sweet-smelling oil, he pressed down on Benny’s shoulders to lay him flat and started in on his arms.

It was actually quite calming, with the familiar aroma in the air and Dean going slow, apparently looking to take his time on every inch of Benny. With the oil warming up his skin and the hunter kneading the muscles underneath, the vampire was actually feeling things loosen throughout his body that had been tense for years. He let his eyes drift shut when Dean picked up each hand and rubbed into the palms, pulling in and around the fingers and generally giving a quality massage.

“Falling asleep, Benny?” Dean teased, voice quiet in case it was accurate.

Benny grinned. “Can’t blame me, now. You have some skilled hands, mon chasseur.”

“Should I stop?” he asked, even as he moved his hands back up Benny’s arms to glide over his chest. Blue eyes popped back open when the hunter brushed over his nipples.

“Cheeky.” Benny reached over to grab at Dean’s thighs, thinking to move this further along. But even though he could see Dean’s interest growing, the younger man kept moving at the same slow speed, pressing the oil into his pectorals and drifting slowly over his stomach, avoiding the erection below. Benny had to admit it felt damn good, but it was also torture to stay at Dean’s pace. There was a moment when Dean hovered above Benny’s thick shaft that he thought they’d jump into it, but the hunter smirked before shifting back and starting on Benny’s thighs. Benny made a frustrated sound.

“Patience,” Dean murmured. “You feeling good?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Benny thrust his hips slightly, feeling Dean’s grip tighten at the movement.

Dean just hummed back and lifted a leg to prop Benny’s ankle on his shoulder, kneading the calf with both hands. The extra heat from Dean reapplying the massage oil felt divine and Benny squirmed beneath him. Then Benny felt a lick over the arch of his foot that had him twitching in surprise. His hunter smirked at him again and paid the same attention to his toes that was given to his fingers. Benny was squirming more now until a harder press caused a different reaction. He moaned and shifted on the bed and Dean followed up with a precise bite to the same area. He must have looked a state, moaning Dean’s name when the younger man decided to repeat the process on the other leg. All his nerves were tingling like they were just waking up and Benny didn’t know whether to plead or growl at Dean when the other man asked him to turn over.

Benny’s legs were jelly by this point so Dean only gave those a cursory review before jumping back up to his shoulders. A fresh dollop of oil and the spreading heat was one pleasure; the thorough workover on his tight back with a litany of softly murmured compliments had Benny in heaven.

Dean rolled his hands up and down Benny’s spine, working over to the sides. The warmth and the press of the body above him gave Benny the wild idea of taking a trip down South and having Dean out on the grass under a starlit sky, with the smell of magnolia and salt in the air. The image made him moan and shift under those talented hands. The hunter wasn’t unaffected by all this; Benny could feel it in the pauses from those hands, the hitches in his breath, and more notably from the brush of the erection when the other man leaned in lower.

“Benny,” Dean murmured appreciatively. He pressed a kiss to the back of Benny’s neck. “Wanna turn back over?” he invited.

He grunted a negative, instead spreading his legs and pushing back against the hunter. “How about you get inside me?”

A surprised and aroused noise. “Really?” Dean’s voice grew huskier.

Benny generally preferred it the other way around and Dean hadn’t asked yet, but the hunter was doing things to Benny’s body that made him want more. “Think you mentioned getting your hands all over me, yeah?”

Dean pressed another kiss into his neck and Benny could feel him smiling. “Well, wouldn’t want to disappoint.” He reached over to quickly pull out lube and a condom and shifted down between Benny’s legs. The hunter started with a playful kiss to each cheek before tapping out a bit more oil to massage his glutes first. Benny was feeling a lot more sympathy for the times that he’d made Dean wait, but the hunter made every touch feel great so it balanced out.

Luckily, Dean didn’t make him wait too much longer. Benny heard the snap of the tube and Dean rubbing to get the gel warmer. The older man tensed a little in anticipation, which Dean apparently noticed because he ran a soothing hand down Benny’s back. A long breath and Benny let out his nervousness, moving his legs further apart to signal Dean that his touch was welcome. Still, Dean took it a step at a time, rubbing calming circles over his lower back and ass with one hand and sliding his other gently into the crease, not penetrating just letting Benny get used to the sensation.

Benny was truly relaxing again and the first tentative press inward felt good. A low moan got Dean a little bolder and he tried a finger, working it in smoothly with the lube. The pull and drag over the nerves there was better than he remembered and Benny hummed in pleasure. It wasn’t long until Dean added another finger, stretching him out carefully and prodding a bit deeper. That felt odder until a deep push found his prostate and pure need lit up inside him.

“ _Dean_ ,” Benny gasped as his whole body jerked at the sensation.

“Ah, Benny,” the hunter murmured. “That’s it.” He pressed over the nerves again and Benny shook in pleasure. “Fuck, you look so good, Benny.” Dean twisted his fingers and worked up a proper thrust and Benny’s hands started clutching the sheets underneath him.

The vampire raised his hips a bit more. “Another,” he requested, voice raspy.

Dean obliged after adding a bit more lube, Benny shifting at the stretch and the cool gel. He could hear Dean’s breath quicken and sensed his eagerness. Hoping to move them along now, Benny carefully pulled each leg up until he had his knees under him to help push back on those fingers.

“ _Benny_ ,” Dean breathed out and sought to brush his fingers along the other man’s prostate again. With the new position, the drag was deeper and Benny moaned out his appreciation.

“Ready, Dean. I’m ready.”

Dean let out another deep breath and gave a few more thrusts with his fingers before replying, “OK.” The sound of the condom wrapper and the slick lube being spread over Dean’s cock made Benny want to look at his hunter, but the feeling had already been so good that he didn’t want to move. Soon he felt Dean nudging his way in, ever so slowly. The prep was done well; by the time Dean had fully settled in, they were both panting and Benny felt full and close. “You OK, Benny?”

Benny took a moment to respond. “Yeah, I’m good.” It was a stretch but he was adjusting. And when Dean started a few shallow thrusts it felt better than good. The vampire started to move with those rocking hips, building up a rhythm.

A small sound from Dean had Benny pausing, but before he could ask, Dean’s hands moved to trail up his sides. “Wanna feel more of you Benny,” he panted. “Wanna…?” A tug had Benny getting the idea and he straightened up until he was leaning back into the hunter’s embrace. And _this_ was even better. Though Benny was a bit stockier than Dean, the younger man had a little height on him, which Dean used to nuzzle into the Southern man’s neck and wrap those strong arms around Benny. Now the vampire could feel thigh muscles bunching beneath his own and the warm glide of skin pressed over his back. One of Dean’s arms gripped steadily over his chest even as the other explored his stomach and hips below. More importantly, Dean’s pleased noises and moans were right in his ear and he echoed them right back.

Dean pivoted his hips below Benny’s, seeking out and finding that bundle of nerves that had the older man squirming again. Another few thrusts and Dean settled into a rhythm that kept up the stimulation. Benny moaned louder as they rocked against each other.

“So perfect. Benny,” Dean whispered, pressing open kissing along his neck. The hunter’s right hand dipped lower to grasp Benny’s erection, pulling in time with their hips.

Surrounded by Dean, Benny twisted to meet the other man’s mouth, needing to taste him and breathe him in. Dean kissed back just as desperately, struggling to keep thrusting on target and keep his hand moving on Benny. Every nerve was tingling, every inch of him felt so alive. And every piece of Benny felt loved. Maybe it was the devoted attention he was receiving or the approaching orgasm, but Benny felt his restraints slipping.

He tossed his head back onto Dean’s shoulder, panting heavily. Even so, the soft words escaped him clearly, “Je t’aime, Dean.”

There was no time to fear or regret his declaration, as the next thrust struck home and white-hot pleasure overwhelmed him. He fell apart in Dean’s arms, spilling over the hunter’s busy hand and clenching around the cock still moving inside him.

Dean cursed low and shuddered out a breath, following Benny over the edge. They shook together through the peaks of their release. After several more uncoordinated moves to ride it through, they let themselves collapse on the bed.

Through the fading pleasure, it dawned on Benny what he’d just confessed. Unhappily, he wondered if he’d just thrown this entire evening and if he’s spooked the hunter with his words. Dean didn’t quite know French, but Benny was fairly certain that he’d heard that particular phrase before. His shoulders tensed with worry.

Lazily wiping on the sheets and then running both hands up Benny’s chest, Dean gripped the Southern man’s shoulders. “Hey, you’ll undo all my work,” was the mild protest.

Confused, Benny wondered if Dean hadn’t heard him after all. He took a long breath and replied, “Well, if it means we’ll be doing that again…”

A low chuckle answered him. Dean pressed a kiss to the back of his neck and Benny started to relax. The hunter rested his head against Benny’s, soft breaths warm against his ear. Quietly, but quite clearly, Benny heard, “Love you too, Benny.”

Shoulders tensing again, this time in surprise, Benny twisted around, feeling Dean’s softened dick slip from him. Meeting those green eyes, Benny saw determination warring with vulnerability and fear on Dean’s face. The first true fear that he’d seen on Dean while directed at him, and he couldn’t let that stand.

Grasping the worried face before him, Benny kissed Dean fiercely. He pulled back to repeat, “Love you, Dean. I love you.” With several smaller kisses peppered all over the other man’s face, he repeated it all. “Love you. Je t’aime. Love you, Dean.” He tasted salt on the skin below and saw that a tear had escaped from Dean’s eye. Concerned, he leaned back to look over the hunter. The man was a mix of emotions, but when he met Benny’s eyes. he smiled.

“I love you, Benny,” Dean spoke quietly and deliberately. “Sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner. I know you wanted… It’s hard to…”

Benny shushed him. “Don’t be sorry, cher. You told me in all the ways that matter before now. I’m just happy to hear it. And I love you.” A bashful smile and a kiss were Dean’s response. Seeing Dean struggle with his words again and the intensity of the moment, Benny thought to tease him back to his comfort level. “Guess I won’t be needing French anymore.”

It didn’t quite get a laugh, but Dean’s smile was amused. “Thought you were gonna teach me?”

“You’ve proven to be a stubborn pupil.”

“Voulez vous coucher avec moi?”

Benny barked out a laugh. “Now I don’t recall teaching you _that_.”

Dean shrugged playfully. “It’s from a song. Bet you can teach me more.”

“Charming.” Benny planted a tender kiss to Dean’s lips. “Je t’aime,” he repeated.

Dean smiled, looking relaxed and happy. “Je t’aime.”

Unable to keep the grin off his face, Benny gathered Dean into his arms to hold the hunter tight. “If you learn nothing else, I’d be glad to hear that as often as you’d like to say it.” There was a shake as Dean chuckled against him. “If you do want to learn more, I was thinking of taking you down to New Orleans next summer. Can show you around, maybe rent a cabin and take a break for a bit?”

“That sounds good to me, Benny.” Dean pressed lazy kisses on his collarbone as he relaxed and started to doze off.

Benny smiled and dreamed of Dean naked under the Louisiana moonlight. He was the luckiest vampire in the world, in love with this hunter.

Who would’ve thought?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
The End  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~


End file.
